A True Godfather
by Random Fan140497
Summary: Jiraiya swore to Minato that he would keep his child safe, and he intended to do so, even if it meant going against everything he believed in. AU story. [NaruHina] [SakuSasu] First story so I hope you enjoy :P
1. Chapter 1

A True Godfather

Ch 1 A promise kept.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, that honour belongs to Kishimoto-Sensei. I do however own the plot (I hope :D)**

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **You're wrong, that's not what makes a shinobi. You never did get it, a real ninja is one who endures no matter what gets thrown at him… Let me explain something to you, there is only one thing that matters if you are a shinobi, and it isn't the number of techniques you possess. All you do need, is the guts to never give up.": Jiraiya**

Jiraiya knew, as soon as he felt his students chakra signature disappear, exactly what he had done. 'That fool!' Jiraiya just knew that his foolish student had used the Shiki Fūjin to seal away the Kyūbi no Kitsune. As tears started to fall from his face, the toad sage increased his speed as he travelled to the sight of the sealing. All to soon, Jiraiya was confronted by his worst fears. Their, lying in a puddle of there own cooling blood, lay Namikaze Minato and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina. Both had large holes in the centre of there bodies, proving once and for all, that they were dead, and that there was nothing the toad sage or his teammate, the legendary healer Tsunade, could do about it. Suddenly a cry broke the silence that had suddenly enveloped the night, and the lone sannin turned to see a little boy child laying in the centre of an advanced sealing setup. The newborn child had small tufts of blond hair, reminiscent of his students own spiky blond hair, three small whisker like marks on each cheek, a mark of being born to a Jinchuriki and on his stomach, still pulsing with the remnant chakra from the sealing, was the Shiki Fūjin.

Picking the boy up, Jiraiya did his best to sooth the mourning child, even as his own tears fell down his cheeks like waterfalls. "There there, little Naruto. Jiraiya's here. Shhhh its ok, everything's gonna be fine." Even as he said this, he knew that it truly wouldn't be, not for a long time. Not long after this, three ANBU arrived, escorting the previous Hokage.

The retired Third Hokage looked at the carnage and at Jiraiya and the small child in his arms. Knowing what the old man wanted, but was too ashamed to ask, Jiraiya began to speak. "While a wasn't here at the time, I can easily guess what happened. After teleporting the Kyūbi, Minato must have used the Shiki Fūjin to seal it into the child. Looking at the position of the bodies and the damage taken, I can assume that the Kyūbi attempted to kill the child before it could be sealed away and that they managed to stop it before it could do so." To his credit, Jiraiya was able to speak even through his pain.

As Jiraiya spoke, the older shinobi visibly hunched from the news, knowing that Jiraiya had just lost someone who was the equivalent to a son. Soon enough though, Jiraiya finished his report. Sighing, the Sandaime Hokage spoke."Thank you, Jiraiya. I am truly sorry for your loss" At this point the aged shinobi looked at his former student, trying to show just how much he felt. Placing his hands on his shoulders, the man continued. "Come, the council will need to be informed of these events and I'll need your help in controlling them." With an almost emotionless voice the sage replied. "Hai, sensei."

* * *

It was an hour later that the village council gathered together. The council was formed by the Sandaime Hokage to help run the village after the third great ninja war. The council consist of the heads of each clan, Shimura Danzo, Mitokada Homura and Utatane Koharu, along with representatives of the Merchant, Banking and Farmer's Guilds.

At first there was much talk, as each member discussed the Kyūbi's attack on their home. However, the moment the Sandaime entered the secret chamber, all was quite. "Fellow council members, we gather here tonight to discuss the disaster that befell us not two hours ago. The attack of the Kyūbi was, unexpected to say the least. However I am proud at the speed at which our shinobi acted to protect our precious village, and there sacrifice will not go unnoticed. Sadly, amongst those casualties was Namikaze Minato, our Yondaime Hokage, who sacrificed his life in sealing the greatest of Bijus."

At this the council instantly focused onto Jiraiya, or to be more accurate, the tiny, wriggling bundle in his hands. One of the members spoke up. "That child contains the demon?! We should kill it before it grows strong enough to finish its job!" at this, the rest of the room broke out into shouting, with some calling for the child's death and others calling for him to be seen as a hero. Sadly this was only the older Hokage and Jiraiya. Shimura Danzo spoke up, quieting the more loud members.

"Hiruzen, I believe the best course of action would be to train the child, to get control of the beast. Allow me to take him." "Danzo, you would turn him into little more then a weapon, one which you would solely wield. I will not allow it." "And who are you to make such a decision, that is for the Hokage to decide, and as you mentioned, he is dead!"

At this Jiraiya glared heatedly at the old war hawk, however before he could speak, Hiruzen replied. "As the Yondaime did not have a successor, I as his predecessor shall retake the roll of Hokage, until such a time as I see fit to once again hand down the role to the next generation. Does anyone here disagree?" The only hand that was raised was that of Danzo, and so it came to be that Sarutobi Hiruzen once again took on the roll of Hokage.

* * *

After discussing what courses of action should be taken to repair the village and prevent any leakages of the disaster until such a time as they could defend themselves once again, the council was dismissed. Once all of the members had left, Jiraiya moved towards Hiruzen.

"Sensei, what are you gonna do with Naruto? I promised Minato that I would protect him, and I plan on keeping my word." Sighing, the returned Hokage spoke to him. "I believe the best course of action would be to put the child in the Konoha Orphanage under Kushina's Clan name. As he doesn't have the classic red hair, most will just assume he was named in recognition of our fallen allies. I know you would want him recognised as Minato's son, but he just had to many enemies that would attempt to kill the child."

"Why not let me take him then, I have a responsibility to him sensei, and i could train him. I hate to admit it, but Danzo had a point, Naruto needs to be trained." Once again Hiruzen sighed. "You know as well as I do that you are needed more outside of the village with your network, and besides, you have just as many enemies as Minato. Naruto can also still be trained in the Academy"

Jiraiya had to admit that the Hokage had a point, however that still didn't mean he had to like it. Sighing Jiraiya turned towards his sensei. "I'll think about it sensei, but if anything happens to him, then I'll take him with me, damn the consequences." With that he turned and jumped onto the nearest roof and disappeared into the night, leaving the old man to his thoughts. 'Don't worry Jiraiya, I believe in this villages' "Will of Fire!"'

Within two days, news about Naruto's Jinchuriki status was common knowledge. While most shinobi knew the difference between the demon and its container, many of the younger shinobi who had lost loved ones, and almost all of the civilians saw him only as the demon that he carried. Many came everyday to the Hokage Tower to demand the child's death. Soon, Hiruzen realised he had made a mistake in allowing all to know of young Naruto's status, and declared from that point on, Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki became an S-ranked secret, punishable by death. At first, no one believed the kind Hokage capable of executing his own people for a demon brat, but after the first few public executions, they soon learnt that it was no idle threat. Soon, it was no longer mentioned in public, and with this, the Sarutobi patriarch believed they would all put it behind them.

* * *

Three months later, young Naruto was entered into the Konoha Orphanage. At first, the Hokage would check up on the child everyday, but as his responsibilities to the village increased, his visits decreased, until he could only manage this once a month. It did not take the Matrons of the Orphanage long to realised that the old Hokage would come at the same time, on the first day of every month to see the 'demon'.

At first, they left the child alone, avoiding him at all costs. The only thing that kept them feeding him was the fact that the Hokage would notice. They kept the child locked in a room for most of the month, only letting him out on the day of the Hokage's visit. This went on for about a 7 months, before one of the nurses assigned to feed him, 'accidently' dropped him, leaving a large bruise on his face. At first, all of the nurses panicked, thinking of excuses to tell the Hokage, but it was the one that dropped the child noticed that the bruise had suddenly disappeared.

"Mikasa-san, look! The bruise on its face, it's gone!" "What!?" screamed the nurse known as Mikasa. "Setsuna, bring him here! Let me see!" And sure enough, where once was a bruise the size of a fist, was nothing but unmarred skin. This frightened the nurses at first, but soon the realized they could use this to there advantage. They could harm the 'demon' and get away with it.

And so began four long months of experimentation, in which each of the nurses would try more and more ways at harming the boy. At first it was just dropping him, then that turned into smacking the child if he made a noise, and then one of the more psychopathic nurses decided to cut the child with a piece of glass. It was only a small cut on his arm, but when they saw that the wound had healed within 5 minutes, everything escalated.

Soon all sorts of accidents occurred. As the accidents became more and more dangerous, most of the nurses became afraid and guilt ridden. The came to realise that what they were doing was wrong and soon stopped. But three of the nurses, emboldened by there success, continued to harm the child, until one fateful day.

Unohana Mikasa, Mori Setsuna and Ishiyama Koaru were incredibly pleased with themselves. They were once again 'punishing' the 'demon' for attacking there home. As each woman took turns cutting the toddler with all sorts of sharp objects, they spoke "For my brother!" "For my husband!" "For Konoha!"

It was as the lost woman had just spoken, slicing a deep gash into the child's chest, that the door burst down and an incredibly powerful killing intent froze the three women. Standing in the now open archway where once a door to the basement stood, was the 'Shinobi no Kami' and the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He spoke so softly, they barely heard. "You monsters! How could you do such things to a defenceless baby!" At this, Mikasa spoke up. "Hokage-Sama! We were just teaching the demon what happens when you mess with Kono - ahg!" The women was stopped. Not because she chose to, but because the Killing intent that the older man had just released had made her.

The old Hokage looked at the three cowering women in front of him and had to force his anger down, less he kill these three on the spot. He turned around and spoke to the two shadows that had appeared behind him, causing the three to pale at the implications. "Anko, Ibiki, take them out of my sight, and find out what you can. I don't care what needs to be done, just do it." With that, the old man snatched up the no longer bleeding but still covered in blood child, and left. The two T&I co workers grinned manically at each other then turned to face the three. They were a bit put out however when the saw that the three had feinted. Shrugging, they left the orphanage with the three victi- criminals hung over there shoulders,

* * *

The Hokage sat in his office, face in his hands. Minato's legacy lay in a small cot that once belonged to his son, Asuma. The old man did not know what to do. He had believed that Konoha's 'Will of Fire' would win out in the end, but he had been wrong, and young Naruto was the one to pay for his mistake.

Looking up at a portrait of his successor, Hiruzen wondered if Minato would ever forgive him. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself. Suddenly one of the windows opened and a blur dove inside. Already knowing who it was, the once retired Hokage sighed. "Jiraiya, there is a door for a reason." When Jiraiya didn't respond, the Hokage flinched

"I'm Sor-" "Don't!" Jiraiya glared at his old sensei. "You told me he would be safe here, but you were wrong!" "Jirai-" No sensei! You know the deal! I swore I would protect him, and already I have failed! He is coming with me, and that is final!" Once again, the old man sighed. "I understand, Jiraiya. I already have the papers here, allowing you to take full custardy over Naruto." As he said this, he slid a folder to Jiraiya. "I just ask one favour, please Jiraiya, raise him here, in Konoha." At this, the toad sages eyes widened in shock. "And why would I do that, why would I raise the child of my student in a place that only hates him!?" At this the old Hokage looked down, feeling older then ever before. Standing up, he looked straight into his students eyes. "Because whether they like it or not, this is as much his home as theirs! Please Jiraiya, I know I have failed you, Minato and Naruto, but please let me redeem myself!" As soon as he said this, The esteemed Hokage, the highest ranking power in the village, fell to the floor in the dogeza position.

Jiraiya was shocked beyond words. Here was the Hokage, his sensei, bowing and begging him. It was just so wrong! "sensei please! Stand up!" when Hiruzen didn't move, Jiraiya moved to forcibly lift the old man, but each time he did so, the Hokage fell back to his knees.

Eventually Jiraiya relented. "Fine! Fine! I'll stay! Just please, stop!" At this, the old Hokage stood back up and faced Jiraiya with tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Jiraiya. I promise you, I will do all that is in my power to help protect Naruto! Thank you!"

With that, Jiraiya left the Hokage tower, a small bundle in his arms. Once Jiraiya had gotten 100 meters from the Tower however, he realised some very important things.

'Oh shit! How the hell do you even raise a child!" followed by, "And where the hell am I gonna stay!"

* * *

Fortunately, some of those problems were easily solved. After spending the night in a hotel, Jiraiya awoke the next day to find an envelope on his bedside table. In it was a pair of keys and a map showing the directions to a house just outside of the village centre.

Following the map, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel as if he'd come here before. It was only as the house came into view that he realised why he felt this was. As he crossed the gate and moved towards the entrance, he couldn't help but notice the sign. The sign that said...

-END CH 1-

 **AN**

 **Few, first chapter, done! And wow! I've been reading on FF for a few years now and thought I'd try my hand at writing an actual story, but geez, all these other guys make it look so easy! A wrote just under 3000 words and man, that was crazy, I wonder if it gets easier with time. If not, then my respect for other authors' just sky rocketed! Anyway, if you enjoyed it, leave a review. If not, tell me what was wrong and how I could solve it (Just remember that I may not change things if I feel it would be detrimental to the plot :D) and please, no flames. Constructive criticism is fine! :D**


	2. Ch 2- A New Life: Baby Years

A True Godfather

Ch2 – A New Life: Baby years

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **Disclaimer: Own the plot Kishimoto does. May the Log be with you.**

* * *

I don't care what colour the parents are. I don't care if it's a giraffe and a fish living together. If they're raising children who believe they're honoured and loved, that's all that's important.  
 _Patricia Polacco_

* * *

Previously on... A True Godfather

* * *

 _Following the map, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel as if he'd come here before. It was only as the house came into view that he realised why he felt this was. As he crossed the gate and moved towards the entrance, he couldn't help but notice the sign. The sign that said..._

* * *

Naruto: age 7 months

* * *

Jiraiya stopped just after the gate, a small bundle of cloth in his arms, a bundle that every few seconds would wiggle around, promising a future of a very active child. Smiling down at the boy, Jiraiya moved the blankets that had fallen down around his head, revealing the slightly spiky blond hair and three small whisker like birthmarks. After fishing out a small bottle of formula provided by the Hokage, and feeding the child, Jiraiya looked back up to the house.

'Huh, I thought this place had been destroyed during the attack , guess sensei must have lied to prevent looters or something.' Looking around, Jiraiya recalled quite a few fond memories. Once again he looked at the sign at the front gate. 'Namikaze Residence huh? Well Minato did always want to raise you here, so I guess its only right."

The estate was relatively small, compared to some clan grounds, but Jiraiya felt that as a house for a family of shinobi, it was perfect. Especially considering the fact that Kushina would have wanted more children. The actual house was a double story style house, with five bedrooms, 2 on the ground floor and 3 upstairs. Two bathrooms, one on each floor. A large kitchen on the ground floor. Next to the kitchen was a rather large dining room. There was also a large Rec room upstairs. Outside was a beautiful garden out front, and in the back, the perfect ninja training grounds.

The training grounds were surrounded by forest. There was a small but deep pond in the centre, obstacle courses and a storage shed for exercising equipment.

Jiraiya also knew that Minato had installed a hidden underground passage that led to the family secret library, where all of his jutsu was kept, along with where he practised more dangerous sealing techniques.

Jiraiya heard a noise and looked down to see that Naruto had finished his milk. Realising he'd gotten distracted by reminiscing, Jiraiya once more strode towards the entrance.

Opening the door, Jiraiya got ready to defend himself, just encase Minato had set up any traps against intruders. Nothing happened however, and he would have continued further into the house had not a scroll lying next to the door caught his attention. Now usually finding a scroll lying around the house of someone who had been in a rush to save his village might not have been suspicious, but Jiraiya knew that Minato would never leave it lying around. Kushina hated mess, and Minato soon learnt that an angry Kushina is ten times worse then the Kyūbi.

Slowly, Jiraiya placed Naruto down on the couch, (Thankfully the little guy had fallen asleep) and moved over to the scroll. Performing a quick security scan jutsu on the scroll, found that the scroll consisted of two components. A letter and a storage seal. Opening the scroll but not activating the seal, Jiraiya pulled out the letter. It was from the Hokage and on it was written.

 _Dear Jiraiya,_

 _Once again I must thank you for choosing to stay here, in Konoha. I know that it was a decision you did not enjoy making, however you shall not regret it_

 _I know that as my spymaster, you did not have any home here in Konoha, nor any possession, I have taken the liberty of providing some for you. As you can already surmise, the Namikaze estate was not destroyed in the attack, but rather kept hidden by an advanced seal Minato told me about, with the keys you received as the actual key to the seal. Any who possess that key my find the house, others will be averted by the seal. This house belongs specifically to Naruto, along with a small fortune, left to him by his parents. In the scroll you shall find some clothing for both you and Naruto, Some common groceries and your old headband that you left with me when you went on your hermitage. I trust that you would want it back, however if you still wish to wear the headband from Mount Myōboku, then I shall inform the_ _jōnin commander of your case._

 _I know that this is not much, but the house should still have all of Minato and Kushina's things. I know that it may be hard for you, but I believe that leaving their possessions to you and Naruto is what they would have wanted._

 _Once again, thank you, Jiraiya_

 _Sarutobi Hiruzen  
Sandaime Hokage._

* * *

After reading the message, Jiraiya quietly put the letter aside and unsealed the scroll. Placing the clothes on the floor for the moment, Jiraiya took the groceries to the kitchen, and, upon opening the fridge, thanked all the great gods that his sensei had men empty the fridge. After putting all of the groceries away, he turned to do what he had been dreading since walking up to the door. Going through Minato and Kushina's possessions.

Jiraiya slowly moved upstairs, heading for the master bedroom. Knowing from his last time here, only two bedrooms were furbished. Minato and Kushina's room, and Naruto's room. As he entered the master bedroom, tears poured out from his eyes. While the ninja sent here to clean up did an excellent job, they only cleaned in areas that had perishables, namely the kitchen. So when Jiraiya entered their room, it looked as if they had just left to the hidden cave for Naruto's birth. Their bed was still unmade, clothing strewn on the ground and books on the bedside drawers. Quickly wiping the tears away, Jiraiya began the long, arduous task of cleaning the room. Knowing that he would never be able to sleep inside the room, he folded up the sheets and placed them in the cupboard.

When he finished cleaning their room, he moved to Naruto's room. Looking around, Jiraiya noticed that most of the room was fine, if a bit dusty. With a call of _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"_ , Jiraiya summoned forth four clones, who instantly began cleaning out the dust.

As soon as the clones finished cleaning they disappeared in four clouds of smoke that soon blew out of the open window. Going back downstairs, Jiraiya went back to the couch where he had placed Naruto. Picking up the little bundle, Jiraiya prepared to go back upstairs, when he realised something dreadful. The bundle was too light.

Ripping apart the bundle, he frantically searched for the small child, as all sorts of horrid things went through his mind. 'Did he crawl off and get lost? Did Jiraiya leave the Tower with a fake? Did someone follow him and take the boy to kill him?!' As his thoughts became more and more worrisome, the writer of Icha Icha paradise heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Upon further investigation Jiraiya noticed that young Naruto somehow had managed to crawl towards the fridge and was staring at it with large, blue eyes.

Thanking all the gods that the child was fine and cursing that he'd got all worried for nothing! The way his thoughts were going actually made him laugh though, reminding him of that strange Kumo academy student he'd met once while 'researching' the hot springs, that always escalated little things until the grew to be overwhelming.

* * *

Somewhere in Kumo, one newly minted Genin sneezed, and thus began an escalating list of deadly viruses he could have caught, until his teammates slapped the back of his head.

* * *

Picking up the errant child and opening the fridge, Jiraiya took out a milk bottle and with a small katon jutsu, warmed the bottle up. As soon as Naruto had the bottle, Jiraiya watched in horror as the milk disappeared down his throat, and soon the bottle was empty, followed by a massive belch and the giggling of a small child. Jiraiya just knew that this was a sign of things to come.

* * *

Naruto: age 11 months

* * *

Four months later, Jiraiya had finally fallen into a routine. Wake up, feed Naruto, have breakfast, feed Naruto, go for a walk, feed Naruto, play with Naruto, feed Naruto, put Naruto to sleep, feed Naruto, have lunch, feed Naruto, go to the Hokage Tower, feed Naruto, go home, feed Naruto, have dinner, feed Naruto, go to sleep. Every now and then, Naruto would need his diaper changed, and during odd hours of the night would wake up crying for food.

At first, Jiraiya worried that Naruto was being fed too often, but after doing some of his own research (non echi) and discovered that while the rate and amount was unusual, not feeding him would probably worse. He never seemed to pick up weight at an unusual rate, and so he put Naruto's unusual eating amounts on his Jinchuriki status and the Uzumaki Metabolism. He could still clearly remember the amount of food Kushina could put away.

Jiraiya had just come back from the store with five bags full of baby food. Naruto was playing with a little fox plushie that Jiraiya found in a store in a small village outside of Konoha. Thinking that it would be funny and ironic he'd bought the damn thing. As soon as Naruto set eyes on the plushie, his eyed widened and before Jiraiya could realise, the little tyke was in front of him, having crawled all the way so quickly Jiraiya almost thought that the Hiraishin was genetic. Quickly giving the boy the toy, Jiraiya watched as Naruto almost imprinted himself to it, and ever since then, the boy and his plushie were inseparable.

Jiraiya had just placed the bags on the desk when it happened. A soft, unsure voice could just be heard, and for a moment, Jiraiya thought that he was imagining things. But upon turning around, Jiraiya was met with the sight of little Naruto, arms outstretched, begging to be picked up. Suddenly his mouth opened and, as if by magic, he spoke. "Tosan! Tosan!"

Immediately, Jiraiya had tears come to his eyes. He couldn't tell if they were caused by the feeling of being a dad, or by the knowledge that Minato would never get to experience it. It was probably a little of both.

Bending down, Jiraiya picked up the little guy and swung him around, smiling joyously as Naruto laughed.

This day would forever be imprinted in Jiraiya's memory as one of his happiest.

* * *

Naruto: age 14 months

* * *

It was three months later that Jiraiya regretted ever letting the little monster open his mouth! He just wouldn't shut up. Don't get the guy wrong! He was extremely proud and even happier that the child could now speak semi-intelligible sentence, It was just that no matter what Jiraiya did, unless the kid was eating, he just never shut up! He would blabber on consistently about this and that, causing many a headache for the toad sage.

Jiraiya had also found the one substance in the whole of the Elemental Nations that Naruto could eat more of then milk.

Jiraiya had taken Naruto out to town as a reward for his first word, when he'd walked past a small stall, a delicious smell wafting through the air, with the stall as its source. As he entered the stall known as Ichiraku's Ramen, Jiraiya prepared to be thrown out. Even though he was a world renowned shinobi, some businesses still refused to do business with him, just because of Naruto. It really sickened him how little these civilians actually used there brains.

As he moved towards the counter, he prepared himself for the outburst, and so was shocked when the old man behind the countered beamed at him and asked for his order. So shocked in fact that he just stood there with his mouth open. The owner of the stall became nervous, thinking he'd some how offended the shinobi customer and was about to apologise, when Jiraiya spoke.

"Uh, sorry, could you repeat that, I'm not sure I quite heard you." Nervously the senior Ichiraku repeated what he said, albeit in a much softer voice. "Welcome to Ichiraku's, how may I help you?"

Jiraiya smiled. Finally a restaurant willing to serve them without death threats needing to be exchanged.

Turning towards the man, Jiraiya ordered a large miso ramen for himself, then paused. "Uh, you don't by any chance have anything suitable for toddlers?" Smiling broadly the civilian replied. "Why yes! Here at Ichiraku's, we strive to meet every customers' needs! Ayame! One large miso and one gaki special!"

As soon as the meals were set before the two and the customary "Itadakimasu!" was said, the two dug in. Jiraiya had to admit, as far as Ramen went, it was pretty good, however, one look at Naruto would make it seem like an understatement. The child was shovelling it down so fast, any passer by would think that the child hadn't eaten in days!

Looking up, Jiraiya noticed the owner's face and couldn't help laughing. However, Jiraiya soon changed his tune, as the owners face had morphed from one of shock, to an evil grin. To top the look of he was even rubbing his hands together greedily.

Ever since that day, Jiraiya did his best to avoid the ramen stand. That one time almost broke him and at the end of the day, it was a very happy Naruto and a very depressed Jiraiya, holding on to his wallet, that entered the house.

* * *

Naruto: Age 2

* * *

Jiraiya was, once again, looking for Naruto.

Ever since Naruto had figured out how to run, Jiraiya had to keep his eyes on him at all times, or the little devil would disappear, having had his attention caught by a: something shiny, b: something orange, or c: something edible.

Usually it wouldn't bother Jiraiya so much, as he could easily find him at home. However, today Jiraiya had decided to take Naruto to the park, so that he could make some friends his own age, and had been distracted by a rather tempting woman. Before he knew it, Naruto was gone.

Jiraiya wasn't one of Konoha's best spies for nothing however, and soon found the gaki over by the children's playground. Not wanting to interfere but rather observe, Jiraiya hid in a couple of bushes near by, using al of his experience gained from peeping.

* * *

Naruto was going around, asking people to play with him, but every time he got close, the nearby parents chased him away.

Not wanting to disappoint his dad, he continued to befriend (or rather try) the other children. Sometimes he would get to join in on there fun for a few minutes before one of the parents noticed and shooed him again.

However he could only stand rejection for so long before he moved over to one of the nearby park benches, and began moping.

Suddenly he heard a noise and looking up, he saw a group of kids, one girl and three boys, near the forest playing together. He also noticed that there weren't any adults nearby and so rushed of to join them.

As he got close, he saw that the girl wasn't actually having fun, but was actually rather terrified, and that the three boys were all laughing. Once he was within hearing range he found out why.

"You're just a freak! A monster! I mean look at your eyes! They're so Creepy" at this the girls eyes began to tear. However it was the last remark that broke the dam in here eyes. "I bet even your own family is disgusted by you, you monster!"

As soon as he heard and saw that the girl was crying, Naruto leaped in amongst the three, and punched the groups leader in the face.

"Leave her Alone! The only monster I see here is you! Now go away!" At this the boy looked up at Naruto, Tears of pain and rage in his eyes and blood pouring out of his nose, but quickly scampered off, followed by his two minions.

Once Naruto was sure that three bullies were gone, he turned to the no longer crying, bit blushing little girl. "Hey, are you alright?" the girl just nodded, blushing deeper. At this the boy grew worried. "Hey, are you sure, cause you seem to be getting sick!" As soon as he said this, he moved in close to test her temperature. The only problem was that he tried to use his forehead. As soon as his head touched hers, the girl fainted with a small "Eeep!".

Panicking, Naruto tried to wake her up by shacking her. "Hey! Wake up! What's wrong! Come on, wake up!" Fortunately for Naruto, the girl quickly woke up. Unfortunately Naruto's head was still hovering above hers when she did and on reflex, she sat up straight, smacking there heads together.

Holding his head and moaning, Naruto looked at the girl, who happened to be doing the same thing. They both tried to apologise at the same time, only ending up interrupting each other. This caused Naruto to break out laughing, and the girl blushing.

Eventually, Naruto managed to stop his giggles and introduce himself. "Hi! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's your name?" "H-h-hyūga H-h-Hinata," Grinning, Naruto asked her to play with him, which she gladly did, half an hour later, when a slightly older boy with long brown hair and the same eyes as Hinata's arrived and informed her that it was time to go home. Saying goodbye to his first friend, Naruto prepared to carry on by himself.

It was not ten minutes later that Naruto noticed that the boy he had punched was returning, but instead of his two followers, he was accompanied by an adult, an adult that looked furious.

Knowing that he was in the right, Naruto stood his ground, expecting the man to scream and shout at him. What he did not expect, was for the man to pick up his cane and attempt to hit him. Closing his eyes and flinching away, Naruto did his best to prepare for the pain, However it never came.

Opening his eyes, Naruto found that the reason he had not been hit, was because Jiraiya had stopped the attack. Looking at Jiraiya's face, Naruto saw a rage of which he had never before witnessed. Along with the look of rage came a feeling of hopelessness so great, Naruto knew he was going to die. And then, it all stopped.

* * *

Jiraiya was at first, content to watch Naruto try and make friends, but he soon grew aggravated as each and every adult in the nearby area would undoubtedly chase Naruto away. Jiraiya was just about to go and take Naruto home as he wasn't having any success, and was now sitting all alone on one of the benches, when he spotted the smile on his face.

Looking towards the general area that Naruto was looking towards, Jiraiya grinned upon spotting the four kids. He was shocked however, when Naruto picked up speed, and upon reaching the centre of the group, spun around and punched the middle kid in the face.

He was just about to head over there to reprimand the boy when he noticed that the fourth child, a girl, was crying. Deciding to watch what happened next, Jiraiya witnessed as the three other boys left, and Naruto stay behind.

He was rather amused when the girl fainted, obviously Naruto didn't understand what this meant, and the ensuing headbutt would forever be imprinted in Jiraiya's memory. He was content to watch them play until the branch member arrived to take the young Hyūga Heiress home.

Jiraiya reminisced about his younger days and the girl he had loved, wishing that he could have done something to win her back. Obviously, thinking of her, reminded him of his best friend, a friend who had betrayed him and the village. Before he could get too into his memories, something woke him up. Looking over towards Naruto, he noticed a man with a walking cane moving towards Naruto. Next to him was the boy that Naruto had punched.

Realising that the parent would be upset, Jiraiya moved forward to straighten things out, when he noticed the man lifting up his cane. Before he could actually think, Jiraiya sped up until he was right in front of the man. Catching the cane as it descended, Jiraiya snapped it between his fingers like a toothpick, glaring at the man while releasing a small amount of KI.

Jiraiya would have continued to do so, if he hadn't noticed the look of terror on Naruto's face. At first he thought it was because the man nearly hit him, but when his KI increased due to anger, he noticed Naruto's fear increased as well.

Realising what was wrong and nearly hitting himself for exposing a child to that, even if it was only a little bit, Jiraiya stopped. Giving the man one more glare, Jiraiya used the _shunshin no jutsu_ to take Naruto home.

* * *

Naruto: Age 5

* * *

Jiraiya knew this day would come. By giving up his privileges to travel, he once again had to take missions. Even if he didn't need the pay, the village did, and so today the Hokage had given him a mission. Even though it was only expected to last a week, Jiraiya still fretted. Naruto was five years old, he couldn't be expected to look after himself.

That is why Jiraiya had to get a babysitter to look after him. However he couldn't hire a Genin team as Naruto would be to much for them to handle, so he opted for something better.

'It's been a while since I've seen the kid, but he should be able too handle it. Now if he could just get he..' "DRING DRING" 'Huh, speak of the devil...'

Jiraiya moved over to the door and unlocked it, and opened it for the man on the other side.

"You're late, Kakashi!" Jiraiya glared at the masked shinobi as he took the outer gate key he had given the man, who just gave him an eye smile. "Sorry Jiraiya-Sama. I got lost on the road of life." Jiraiya just sighed. "Anyway Kakashi, thanks again for doing this. There's food in the fridge, a list of things to do should there be any problems. And whatever you do, don't get him ramen unless you're willing to become broke." "I'm sure I wont need that list, How bad could he be." Jiraiya just laughed as he guided Kakashi around the house.

* * *

Kakashi regretted ever agreeing to Jiraiya's terms, even if he would get a signed copy of his next book. The little gaki was just too full of energy, and would run circles around Kakashi if he was given the chance. It had gotten so bad, Kakashi called upon a favour by one of his subordinates.

Uchiha Itachi, an ANBU member of Kakashi's unit, and also one of his few friends in ANBU, was the perfect person to help. Not only could he use his sharingan to force Naruto to sleep, (Kakashi had never gotten the hang of using the sharingan to do Genjutsu) but he also had a younger brother, Sasuke, who he brought with him to the house. It soon became clear that he and Naruto would be great friends, and even greater rivals, as they would constantly bicker over this and that, before doing something to prove themselves right. And if ever the two came to blows, they were soon be back to being the best of friends.

Naruto also quickly adopted the two ANBU members, forevermore calling them "Kashi-niisan" and "Tachi-Niisan". The week with the ANBU members and Sasuke was one of his most memorable, and when Jiraiya returned, he was sure to enlist the two to help whenever he had long term missions.

* * *

Naruto: Age 6

* * *

Naruto was excited. After months of begging and pleading, Naruto had finally managed to persuade Jiraiya to teach him something, as in 4 months time, he would be joining the academy.

As he went out to the training field, where Jiraiya had asked to meet him, many thoughts went through his head, thoughts like, 'Is he gonna teach me a awesome jutsu, or maybe he's gonna teach me taijutsu!' What he wasn't expecting, was Jiraiya sitting at a picnic table, surrounded by books. BOOKS! What was he gonna use those for, boring people to death?!

When he made an attempt to get Jiraiya to change his mind, the old sannin just told him something his sensei once said.

" _If qualities of Heaven are what you desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. If Earthly abilities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack. When both Heaven and Earth are opened together, the path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever. This person is the secret way... that guides us on from this place today."_

Of course the meaning flew over young Naruto's head, and so he just kept on complaining, causing Jiraiya to laugh.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Second chapter! Woohoo, and over 4000 words this time, I'm so proud :D thanks to the six reviewers for there awesome motivation! Thanks go out to:**

 **Louis Romero as my first reviewer!**

 **Rose Tiger (I did what you suggested (Though it was hard!) and hope it works, tell me if its better)**

 **Shadow-Shinobi666**

 **I.C.2014**

 **Narya Anima**

 **And recently Multipass22**

 **Thanks again to these awesome reviewers! And to all my readers, please enjoy!  
If you have any questions, want to motivate me or give me any suggestions, please feel free to review! Also, I'm looking for a beta, so if anyone could help, thanks a million :P**


	3. Chapter 3 A New Life: Shinobi Academy

A True Godfather

Ch3– A New Life: Shinobi Academy : First day!

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"_ Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **Disclaimer: I now own a new PC, but that's it, but one day, I'll rule the world, and then, this story will be mine! Mwahahahaha!**

"What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning." _Chuck Grassley_

Last time on: A True Godfather

 _As he went out to the training field, where Jiraiya had asked to meet him, many thoughts went through his head, thoughts like, 'Is he gonna teach me a awesome jutsu, or maybe he's gonna teach me taijutsu!' What he wasn't expecting, was Jiraiya sitting at a picnic table, surrounded by books. BOOKS! What was he gonna use those for, boring people to death?!_

 _When he made an attempt to get Jiraiya to change his mind, the old sannin just told him something his sensei once said._

" _If qualities of Heaven are what you desire, acquire wisdom and knowledge to take your mind higher. If Earthly abilities are what you lack, train your body in the fields and prepare to attack. When both Heaven and Earth are opened together, the path of peril will revert to the righteous path forever. This person is the secret way... that guides us on from this place today."_

 _Of course the meaning flew over young Naruto's head, and so he just kept on complaining, causing Jiraiya to laugh._

* * *

Naruto: Age 7

* * *

The sun rose over the land, illuminating all in its wondrous presence. As the first rays hit the rooftops of the hidden leaf village's buildings, shadows appeared and disappeared, as the Shinobi who once were hidden by the night were revealed, only to disappear again, as they continued there patrols.

All throughout the village, amongst all the clans and many amongst the village's civilian households, children awoke and scrambled for their things, excited for this day, their first day at the Konoha Shinobi Academy. All but one.

At the Namikaze residence, on the top floor, snoring could be heard, and rather loudly too.

"ZZZZZZ-mimimimimimi –ZZZZZZ- Mimimimimimi"

Lying in the bed was a cocoon, from which the sound originated, and lying on the floor, broken beyond repair, was an alarm clock. Suddenly heavy footsteps could be heard, marching towards the door. With a loud bang, the door flew open, revealing a rather untidy and sleep depraved Jiraiya. Still the cocoon slumbered, the noise never fading.

Grumbling to himself, Jiraiya stomped towards the bed, grabbed the underside of the frame, and lifted. With a massive heave and a shout of "WAKE UP!" Jiraiya toppled the bed.

As the cocoon hit the floor, the creature inside of it yelped, the started to move around inside. Like a butterfly emerging from its pupae stage, first blond hair, then a face with blue eyes emerged. Once his body had fully escaped the confines of the blanket, Naruto scowled at his adoptive father.

"Hey! What was that for!" "You're late" Jiraiya deadpanned. Naruto paused in his reply rant, looked about, then widened his eyes. He immediately started running about the room, looking for his stuff. Jiraiya just rolled his eyes. With a yawn, he turned around and proceeded to live the room.

As he reached the door, Jiraiya stopped, turned around and grabbed the blond blur by the back of his shirt. "Baka, don't you remember? You left it all in the kitchen last night!."

Still holding the little blonde, Jiraiya went downstairs and entered the kitchen, pointing out the small bag and holster lying on top of the kitchen table. Scratching his head, Naruto just laughed until Jiraiya let him go

"Hee hee, guess I forgot! Thanks tosan!" With that the boy shot out of the house, sprinting as fast as his legs could carry him. Jiraiya just sighed, thinking about the past four months as he stood at the door, watching the boy race towards the Academy

While Naruto was still too young to learn any ninjutsu or do any extreme exercises, Jiraiya had taught the boy the basic frog kata's, as well as giving him some light training exercises meant to prepare the body for later exercises in life. Most of their training however, consisted of book work. Jiraiya soon found out that Naruto had too much energy to sit still and learn in the conventional manner, and so had devised a way of teaching him those much needed skills. He would pick a topic, and then work it into a scenario that Naruto had to solve, such as…

 **Flashback:** _"Naruto, you are surrounded by enemy nin, and you have been separated from your squad. The leader of the nin is an elite shinobi, who says that he has captured your teammates and is threatening to kill them unless you give them information about the village, what do you do?" Naruto stopped his exercises to think. "Well, I could do as his says, but that would risk the village, and I don't know if he really has my teammates. Hmm, maybe I could sneak back and find out if what he says is true, however that runs the risk of capture, and if he doesn't have my teammates, then I'll be the one he uses as bait. Uhm, ah, I know! I'll create some bunshin and have them disguise themselves as my teammates and me and distract him. If he has my teammates, he'll be surprised and will look to see if they are still where he left them. Then I'll know where they are and I can think of a plan to get them free. If he's not surprised, then I'll run back to the place where the leader told us to regroup in case of separation's!"_ **Flashback end**

Another thing that Jiraiya learnt about Naruto is that he had the uncanny ability to make up great plans on the fly. However, this only happened when Naruto was sparring or exercising. If he was not active in some way, his plans were mediocre at best. However, Jiraiya didn't mind, as he knew from personal experience, premade plans hardly ever lasted after contact with the enemy. You just couldn't predict what was going to happen when and who was going to do what.

With his ability to make up plans in an instant, he would be a great asset towards his team. Not only that, Jiraiya had sensed just how large his reserves were at this age, rivalling most Jonin and even some Kage, and knew the boy would be a powerhouse and a half.

Just as he turned back into the house, an ANBU appeared in front of the house, and informed him that the Hokage had summoned him for an emergency. As he left the house, Jiraiya wondered what the old man could need him for, and what the emergency was.

* * *

Naruto kept running, moving between bodies as he raced towards the Academy. Suddenly he tripped, but managed to right himself before he fell. However the momentary distraction caused by the trip interrupted his smooth movements through the crowd, and as he looked up, he saw a street vendor in front of him. Unable to do anything, Naruto collided with the trolley, sending cabbages flying everywhere. Quickly getting back to his feet and, with a quick "Gomen", Naruto continued on his way, ignoring the cry of "My cabbages!"

As the strange vendor bemoaned his fate of always having his cart destroyed and his precious cabbages ruined, Naruto finally arrived at the entrance to the academy.

Speeding into the main lobby, Naruto asked the lady at the front desk the directions to the first years' class. Looking up from her Sudoku puzzle, the lady sighed and shook her head at yet another late comer, and pointed down the hall. "Down the hall, up the stairs and first door on your left, can't miss it." With a quick thank you, Naruto left, leaving the old lady to her puzzle.

As soon as he reached his destination, Naruto heard noises behind the door. Realising he was really late, he reached for the door handle, before pausing, taking a breath and knocking. The voice on the other side paused for a second, before moving towards the door. As the door opened, Naruto looked up to a young man with brown hair done in a ponytail, with a large scar across his nose.

"Yes? How can I help you?" asked the man, smiling. Naruto just smiled, scratched the back of his head and replied. "Uh, Hi, uhm is this the first year class?" The smile faded slighty as the man replied in the positive. "Uhm, gomen sensei, I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Uhm how late am I?" "Very" replied the man, Eye twitching and smile seaming more strained the man moved aside, allowing Naruto his first glimpse into the classroom

It was a tiered structure, with rows of desks at each tier. Behind most of the desks were the different students. At the front of the class were two desks, one for the man in front of him, the other for a shinobi with shoulder length white hair and a friendly look on his face. All in all there were about fifty students in the class. Looking for someone in particular, Naruto soon spotted his best and only friend, Sasuke. Running towards him, Naruto was about to sit down when the teacher stopped him.

"Uzumaki-san, please come up to the front." Turning around the boy did as he was told. As soon as he was by the teacher's desk, the teacher continued. "Now, please introduce yourself"

"Uh, Hi! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Pleased to meet'cha!" At this, the exuberant boy stuck out his thumb in a pose he had seen and older man and his son use. The Teacher just sighed "Thank you Uzumaki-san, now you may take a seat, and in future, don't be late" "Hai, sensei!"

With that, Naruto once more moved towards Sasuke, who was trying hard not to laugh. Naruto just scowled.

"Now, as I just said, my name is Umino Iruka, but you shall call me Iruka-sensei and this is my friend, Mizuki-sensei. From this moment on, until your graduation, we shall be your instructors, teaching you everything that will be required of you as ninja of the village hidden in the leaves. As ninja, you will be expected to know certain things, as well as perform certain things."

"Before we begin, I would like to point out that if at any time in your training, you decide that you are not cut out to be ninja, you may leave and join the local school." At this, most of the kids looked confused, before Iruka continued. "I say this because being a ninja is not like the games played in the street, there is no do overs. If you are killed, there is no coming back. As Ninja, you will be expected to kill, and be killed, for the sake of the village. Now, if anyone wants to leave, they may."

When he said this, the children looked at each other, before slowly, one by one, some left. Once the last to leave was gone, Naruto counted the numbers again. There were now 38 kids left in the class, 12 had left.

Scratching out the names of those that had left, Iruka continued the lesson.

"Ok, I'm now going to explain how this school u\year, and the ones to follow, shall work. On the first and last day of every year, we shall test your abilities in Taijutsu, your abilities with weapons, your intellect or how smart you are and in your final year, your level of Ninjutsu."

Stepping out from behind their desks, the two teachers looked towards the students. Mizuki spoke. "Please follow Iruka and I to the courtyard."

As the teachers left the building, students in tow, Naruto took the time to talk with Sasuke.

"Why were you so late, I know you were excited for today" queried Sasuke. "I musta broke my alarm, so I slept in, tosan had to wake me." Naruto replied bashfully. At this Sasuke snickered. Naruto just looked away, blushing.

Naruto was about to ask him something when they reached the courtyard. Mizuki moved off towards the target range while Iruka stood by a square marked in the dirt. "Ok, the first test of the day, Taijutsu. Now, I don't expect any of you to be any good, so don't be angry if you lose. This test is more to find out what needs to be worked on and what you are good at. Now, when I call out your names, please step into the square. Once inside the square, you are both to form the seal of confrontation, like this." Iruka formed the seal by forming a fist, with his middle and index fingers stuck out, side by side. "When I tell you, you may begin the spar. I will judge the victor, so when I say stop, you stop. After the fight, you are to for the seal of reconciliation." At this, Iruka showed them how it was done, by interlocking your seal of confrontation with that of the opponents. "This shows that you both acknowledge each other as comrades, Now, would Aburame Shino and Akimichi Choji please step into the ring."

A boy wearing and overcoat that covered his entire body and dark glassed stepped forward on one side, while a rather large boy with swirls on his cheeks and a packet of chips in his hand, stepped into the other side. Forming the seals, the two began the spar.

Naruto watched the spars interestedly, seeing how each student fought and at what level. Most of the spars were just plain old brawls, but the spars that included a member of a clan were more precise, as each clan child had been taught the basics of their clan's taijutsu style. Some of the civilians put up a good fight, with one or two showing prior taijutsu training.

One name caught his attention however, that of a girl with short, hime-cut blue hair and pale eyes with just a hint of Lavender in them. Naruto was sure he recognised her, but for the life of him, couldn't remember. As he racked his brain for information on one named Hyuga Hinata, the spar ended with the blue haired girl's victory.

Unfortunately, Naruto didn't get any more time to ponder how he knew the girl, as his name was called, along with that of Sasuke's

All thoughts of blue haired girls left his mind as he entered the square. Forming the correct seal, Naruto smirked at Sasuke, who smirked back

At the call of Hajime the two boys shot forward, each attempting to get in the first strike. Sasuke was slightly faster, and moved in to deliver a straight jab at Naruto's face. Shifting his body as Jiraiya taught him, Naruto dodged the blow and aimed one of his own for Sasuke's ribs. Using his elbow, Sasuke knocked the fist off course and raised his leg to kick Naruto's stomach. Sasuke smiled as the blow landed, until he realised that instead of Naruto's stomach, his leg was connected to Naruto's arms. Twisting, Naruto threw Sasuke to the side. Regaining his balance, Sasuke was just in time to block one of Naruto's kicks. Before Naruto could react, Sasuke jabbed him in the ribs. Trying to take advantage of Naruto's lowered guard, Sasuke performed a high kick, intending to end the fight, However Naruto recovered faster than expected, and ducked under the blow, while simultaneously kicking Sasuke's remaining leg out from under him. Sasuke rolled along the ground, avoiding a fist, before standing back up.

Once more the two stood opposite each other, except on opposite sides this time. The two were about to continue before Iruka interrupted "Yame!" At this, both students relaxed, face each other and held out the seals. Intertwining their hands, they formed the seal of conciliation.

"Impressive you two, your technique is way above this level, probably around fourth year. However, that does not mean that it was perfect, and I expect each spar to be an improvement on the next. Am I understood?" "Hai, sensei!" they replied at the same time. "Now, all of you, head towards Mizuki, who will oversee your weapons technique. As with the spars, it is just a test of your level, so that we may better understand how we can help you to improve"

As the group moved towards the target area, Sasuke moved next to Naruto. "Nice spar" "Thanks, you to" Naruto replied. Sasuke smirked "I would've won you know" Naruto just rolled his eyes and replied, "sure you would" laughing, the two continued to bicker, until Mizuki called out their names for the test.

"Now, as I told those before you, this is not a competition. Just try your best. Good luck" With that, he moved aside. "Please stand on the white line, and use the five shurikan and kunai provided to hit your target. Begin with the shurikan, and move on to the kunai at my command. While today they will not be used, the scoring for future tests is as follows; Non-vital area's count one point. They are scratches, hitting the hand, arm, foot or leg. Hitting the stomach or chest will award you three points, and the heads and heart, five. Missing a target will cost you two points per miss. Now, at my signal, begin. Hajime!"

As soon as the words left Mizuki's mouth, the two began. Naruto managed to get two shurikan into the chest, 1 into the dummies left arm, one scratched its side and one narrowly missing. Smirking, he turned to Sasuke. However he soon turned back, grumbling at Sasuke, who had gotten three in the chest, one of which was in the heart zone, one in the head, and one on the dummies lower right calf. "Now kunai.", called Mizuki

As Naruto tossed the blades at the dummy, he continued to grumble about show off Uchiha's, which just caused Sasuke to laugh. At the end of the toss, Naruto had two kunai in the dummies head, one in its chest, one in its right shoulder, and the throw that caused all the men gathered terrible pain, including himself, one in the dummies groin. Sasuke had gotten three in the head, one in the heart, and one miss, due to Naruto's groin shot.

"Congratulations to the both of you. Uchiha-san, excellent throws, however you still need some work. Uzumaki-san, well done to you as well, however, in the future, please avoid that specific area while here, as you may have noticed the reactions of those around you." Naruto couldn't help the blush that came up.

At this point, Iruka spoke up. "Alright class, it is now time for the written test. As with the previous two tests, we are not looking for marks, but rather what you know and don't know. If you get a question that you don't understand, you may ask us for some help. If however you still do not know the answer, you may skip the question. Please make your way back to class."

As the children re-entered the classroom and sat at their desks, Mizuki began handing out test papers.

"Please write your name on the page in the marked box, and when I say so, begin. Do not cheat, as that will only harm you, as this test is meant to find out what you know and do not know. At the end of the test, we shall collect your papers and then you may go out for recess." As Iruka finished explaining, Mizuki finished handing out the papers. As soon as he was done, Iruka gave the command to begin

* * *

Naruto finally put down his pen, and looked at the test in front of him. Many were left unanswered, and those that were, were messy scratches on the paper, barely eligible. He would have done better, the questions asked for clear answers, something he could never truly give. Fortunately, he noticed that he was not the last to be finished, as one or two other students were still busy scratching on to their papers.

As soon as the final pen was down, Mizuki stood up and proceeded in the collecting of the papers. Once he was finished, Iruka let them out, telling them to be back in about half an hour.

As Naruto left the building, following Sasuke, he felt a tingle down his back, as if someone or something was watching him. However, turning around he saw no one. Scratching his head, he continued moving with the rest of the class, talking with Sasuke about the test.

* * *

Outside, the weather was warm, will a slight breeze in the air. Finding an unoccupied bench, Naruto sat down with Sasuke and together the two ate there lunch. As they ate, they discussed the day, and what it all meant

"I think," spoke Sasuke, "That with our performance today, and if we keep it up, we will be the top students." "Maybe." Answered Naruto, "But I'm not sure, I mean yeah, we did great on the Taijutsu and Kenjutsu courses, but when it comes to written tests, I know I suck, while your actually pretty good at it." "Heh, then I'll just take the top spot, and you can be dead last" teased Sasuke. Naruto growled at Sasuke, but he just continued, packing his lunch at the same time. "Ya know what, I think from now on, I'm gonna call you dobe. Yeah, Naruto-dobe!" At once the two shot up out of their seats, and Naruto began chasing Sasuke around the grounds screaming, "Sasuke-teme!" "Ha ha, catch me if you can Dobe!"

* * *

When Iruka left the building to call the children back inside, he was met with the sight of a blonde blur chasing after an even faster blue blur. He heard some noises coming from the two blurs, and gathering from that their identities, he called for the two to stop. Unfortunately, the two friends were moving too fast and yelling too loudly for them to hear.

Forming a special set of hand seals taught to him by his sensei as a genin, Iruka added chakra, enlarging his head comically and screamed "NARUTO! SASUKE!"

Instantly the two stopped. This caused the two idiots to crash into Iruka, who had stepped rather foolishly into there path.

Groaning, the two rivals stood up, and looked down, paling, at Iruka sensei, who just glared at them. Getting up, Iruka pointed to the doorway, in which the rest of the class had scrambled too, when Iruka used his big head jutsu.

A nervous laughter came from Naruto as he scratched his head, then began moving towards the door.

The class was quite when they entered, a drastic change from the beginning of the day. At his desk sat Mizuki, wondering what was going on, when Iruka entered behind the too boys.

Iruka sat down, took a calming breath, and began to speak, telling them that from then onwards, the academy would truly begin, and that they were free too go. "Not you too." He pointed at Naruto and Sasuke. "You two have detention. And I know just what to give you." Smiling evilly, Iruka lead them down a passage and into a room. A room filled from top to bottom with dusty chalk board erasers. "You two are going to stay in here until every single one of those dusters is clean, do you hear me?" "Hai sensei." The replied gloomily. "Good, now over there is a window with a balcony, you are to clean the dusters out there. Understood?" once again the two replied with a "Hai, sensei." Satisfied, Iruka left the two to it.

* * *

As the boys looked around the room, Naruto smirked. "The one who cleans the least dusters has to treat the other to lunch?" "You're on!"

* * *

The sun had set, and all was quite in the village of Konoha, when two white spectres exited the Ninja Academy. As the spooks wondered through the streets of Konoha, citizens were tormented by the moaning wail and dreadful coughs of the undead. As the civilians trembled in their beds, the ghostly duo separated, one heading for the Uchiha district, the other for the nearby forested estate belonging to Jiraiya and the Demon Child.

For the next few days, the Hokage would be plagued by terrified civilians, all the while being terrified himself, by the growing stacks of paperwork.

* * *

 **AN**

 **I am soooooo sorry for the delay. My old computer died and I only got my new one on Monday. Anyway, hope you all will enjoy this chapter, and a Cookie for anyone who picks up the Cameo.**

 **Thanks again to all who read, and to the following reviewers**

 **Lancecomwar**

 **Serpiente Obsidiana**

 **Louis Romero**

 **Rose Tiger**

 **Ninja girl**

 **Chewie Cookies**

 **Shadow-Shinobi666**

 **FlamingPheonixlbj2**

 **Bookworm189**

 **Hinatagirl0805**

 **Roxie.88**

 **I would also once again like to mention that I am looking for a Beta reader, please PM me if you think you have what it takes :D**

 **Please leave a review if you have any questions or suggestions. Enjoy**


	4. Chapter 4 A new Life: Coup

A True Godfather

Ch4 – A New Life: Shinobi Academy : Coup

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **Disclaimor: I don't own Naruto, Naruto owns me**

The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson. _Tom Bodett_

Last time on: A True Godfather

 _The sun had set, and all was quite in the village of Konoha, when two white spectres exited the Ninja Academy. As the spooks wondered through the streets of Konoha, citizens were tormented by the moaning wail and dreadful coughs of the undead. As the civilians trembled in their beds, the ghostly duo separated, one heading for the Uchiha district, the other for the nearby forested estate belonging to Jiraiya and the Demon Child._

 _For the next few days, the Hokage would be plagued by terrified civilians, all the while being terrified himself, by the growing stacks of paperwork._

* * *

Naruto: Age 7

* * *

As Naruto's first day progressed, Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin arrived at the Hokage Tower. Jumping through the window into the old man's office, Jiraiya was surprised to see four other faces, excluding the old Hokage's

Danzo, Homura, Koharu and Itachi were all seated around a table that had recently been added to the office, with the Hokage's desk pushed to one side. All five of the people in the room had varying levels of concern on their faces, with Itachi's being the worst.

"Ah, Jiraiya, thanks for coming on such short notice" There was a visible not of tiredness in the Hokage's voice. "We have some… distressing news. Please, take a seat." At this, Hiruzen pointed to an open seat

As soon as he was seated, the old Sarutobi continued. "Itachi, please tell them what you just told me." "Hai, Hokage"

"As you all likely know, the Uchiha clan has become concerned with its place in this village. The clan has felt for some time now, that it has not received the proper level of respect and status that they deserve. Furthermore, many feel that since Madara, many in this village would see them further reduced in power. With the recent attack of the Kyubi, and the rumour that it was a man that commanded the Kyubi, many of those in the village have become further afraid of them, because they believe the man was an Uchiha, as Madara was rumoured to have used the Kyubi in his clash with the Shodai Hokage. Because of all these factors, there are those in the clan that feel a change of… leadership, is in order."

At this, Homura and Koharu both screamed "What?!" at the same time. Unfazed by the outburst, Itachi continued. "I only discovered this because my father is the leader in this scheme. He thought to use me as a spy in the Hokage's office. However, my loyalties lie with my village first. My best friend, Shisui Uchiha shares these loyalties, and has agreed to help. Our plan is to use Shisui's Mangekyou sharingan to influence my father into changing his mind." As Itachi said this, Jiraiya noticed a peculiar gleam in Danzo's eye, before it disappeared and decided to keep an eye on Shisui.

"Shisui plans to use it at the next meeting, next week. Hopefully this will solve the issue before it even becomes one."

As Itachi sat back down, Danzo stood up. "This is very disturbing news, Itachi-san. But how sure are you that a simple genjutsu will stop a clan wide coups d'état?" Calmly, Itachi replied "Because of Shisui's Mangekyou ability, the Kotoamatsukami. This technique allows him to enter a person's mind and manipulate them by giving them false experiences, making it seem as if they were doing things on their own free will. Because of this, the victim never realises that he or she is being manipulated."

At this, the gleam in Danzo's eye returned with a vengeance. "This technique sounds incredibly dangerous, what is stopping him from using it on us?" Itachi calmly replied. "Two things, Danzo-sama. The first thing I have already mentioned. His love and loyalty to the village. Secondly, this technique can only be used once a decade."

At this, the others in the room visibly relaxed. "If this technique can only be used once a decade," continued Danzo, "How can we be certain that by using it on Fukaku, the coup will be ended?" Itachi began to reply, before quieting. "We… we can't, but we have tried to persuade them to stop, this is the only way to prevent the coup without bloodshed." "Sometimes, Itachi-san, the only way is through bloodshed. Not all battles can be won through speech and deception. Sometimes blood must be spilled to protect our loved ones" Jiraiya was shocked by that. Was Danzo implying they _murder_ the Uchiha clan?!

"What are you implying, Danzo- _sama_? That the Uchiha clan must be killed?" Itachi was cool and collected, the only thing betraying his true feeling's, was a pair of blazing red sharingan eyes

"I am saying that we need a plan B in the event that Shisui fails. We cannot allow a civil war to occur. We are still recovering from the Kyubi's attack, not to mention the Third Great Shinobi War. If the Uchiha's rebel, no matter who wins we all will suffer, as the other villages will see an opportunity to crush us. We cannot allow this to happen. Better to lose one clan, then to have all of us killed."

"Surely there must be other, peaceful ways of handling this, must we really resort to violence?" spoke up Hiruzen. At this, Itachi looked down. "Unfortunately, Shisui's plan was our last option to solve this peacefully. If it fails, then I don't think there will be any other choice then violence."

"Wait a moment!" For the first time since entering the tower, Jiraiya spoke. "While I hate to say it, Danzo is right, if the Uchiha's do rebel, we are all finished no matter the outcome." Itachi was shocked to hear Jiraiya of all people agree with Danzo, and looked away, hurt that someone he considered a friend, would say such things, even if he himself knew them to be true. Jiraiya continued.

"But we overlooked one small fact. Not all of the Uchiha's are guilty. No one can say that the children are a part of the coup!" At this, Itachi looked up, realising something else. "Yes! The only people who actually know about the coup, are the Uchiha Council of Elders! They were planning on telling the rest of the clan the plan the night of the coup! So if it does come down to bloodshed, the only deaths would be theirs!"

Danzo looked a little put out, which was strange as they had figured out a way that the coup could be stopped, without the whole clan being destroyed. Jiraiya, being the master spy of Konoha, noticed this.

"Then it is settled," The old war hawk spoke. "If Shisui's plan fails, then those in charge of the coup will be executed. But who will do the executing. I have some names in mind that coul…" "I will do it" Interrupted Itachi, to the shock of all in the room "If Shisui's plan fails, I will personally see to it that the deed is done." "Are you sure, Itachi? You must realise the consequences of your actions, you will be marked as a rogue nin. We cannot let the others know that the Uchiha's were planning a coup. If they do, they will forever hate them." Hiruzen asked concernedly

"If it means that the village will continue to live in peace, I would do anything" Itachi did not hesitate to answer, causing the 'Professor' to sigh

"Very well then, I declare today's discussion an S-ranked secret. No one is to know any of this. Dismissed."

Sarutobi sat down tiredly, wondering where he went so wrong. First Orochimaru, and now this, opening his desk draw, he pulled out an expensive looking Sake bottle and a small saucer and poured himself a drink. Looking next to him, he groaned at the paperwork that he was sure wasn't there before the meeting.

* * *

Jiraiya returned home at the same time as a certain blond haired ghost. Upon seeing the child, Jiraiya burst out laughing, causing the spectre no end of embarrassment. "N-Naruto, is that you?! Bwahahahaha. What happened to you?!"

Naruto glared at Jiraiya before answering. "Me and Sasuke got detention. We had to clean all of the dirty chalkboard erasers." Jiraiya laughed even harder at this. Eventually he calmed down. "Alright, go get cleaned up, dinner will be ready in an hours' time." Turning serious, he pointedly looked at Naruto. "And after dinner, we are gonna have a talk."

Naruto gulped, but did as his father told him too. After a quick shower, the boy came down to a simple dinner that was still enjoyable. Once the plates were cleaned, and the cutlery put away, Naruto and Jiraiya headed towards the lounge, where they proceeded to sit, facing one another.

"Alright Naruto, there are two things we are gonna discuss tonight. First, lets start off with how you got a detention on the first day." And so Naruto explained the days events, the tests, and his and Sasuke's little spat. At the end, Jiraiya was once again laughing.

"Well I see someone has had an exciting day. And it looks like you and Sasuke were punished enough, so you don't have to worry about that. Now, on to the second thing I wanted to talk to you about. Now that you have begun your shinobi career, I believe it is time to up your traing." As soon as those words left Jiraiya's mouth, Naruto's eyes shone like stars with his excitement "Don't get too excited just yet, brat. You may come to regret it." As he said this, an evil gleam shone brightly in his eyes, foretelling a pain and suffering unimaginable. This did however, went unnoticed by the resident Jinchuriki, who was too excited to actually pay attention anymore.

* * *

The next day, Naruto was awoken early by Jiraiya, who began his new routine. Every morning, Naruto would wake up, Run around the estate seven times as a warm up. Next, he would do a set regime of physical exercises that Jiraiya would guide him in. Once that was finished, he would sit by the small pond, and begin the most basic chakra control exercise, balancing a leaf on his forehead. This was the only exercise that Naruto truly struggled with, as he would lose his concentration often, or he would overpower the technique, thus causing the leaf to become shredded. After the leaf exercise, he would be taken through some more katas with Jiraiya, and after learning a new move, would have a light spar with he in which he had to effectively make use of the move.

When all of this was completed, he would get cleaned, dressed and have breakfast before heading to school. After school, he would repeat all of this besides the katas. Instead this time was spent on his mental studies, going through plans with Jiraiya. Whenever Naruto started to find the work easier, Jiraiya would up it. When Naruto mastered the leaf technique, Jiraiya moved on to the more advanced tree climbing technique.

This training regime would continue until Naruto passed the Academy, increasing in difficulty with Naruto's skill.

* * *

 _One Week later_

* * *

In a quite part of the village, near the Uchiha District, stood two men facing each other. The first man was the one eyed Shimura Danzo. The other was a man with short, unkempt, dark-coloured hair, black eyes and a relatively broad nose. Uchiha Shisui, or as most know him, _"Shunshin no Shisui"_ was rather surprised when Danzo appeared before him. 'Why is he here, the meeting doesn't begin for another hour!?' As Danzo moved closer, Shisui noticed other shadows, flickering in the dark. "What is the meaning of this, Danzo-sama? I am the only one meant to be present here tonight." Danzo stopped, and then spoke. "Unfortunately your plan will not work, Shisui-san." "What reason do you have to say that?" "Because…" At this Danzo began to charge. "I will not let it!"

The shock caused by Danzo's sudden betrayal allowed him to get in close. However, Shisui wasn't an elite Ninja for nothing, a quickly subdued the older man with a powerful genjutsu.

Knowing that that particular genjutsu would take at least an hour to wear off, he prepared to face Danzo's allies. However he was shocked when he noticed a movement in the corner of his eye. Turning around, he was witness to Danzo reaching out with his hand, moving to take Shisui's eye. Knowing that there was no time to react properly, he didn't try to avoid the attack, instead he made sure to Shunshin away before Danzo could get his other eye.

Appearing a few paces away, Shisui was expecting a great pain in his eye, along with blindness and the feeling of blood running down his face. So he was thoroughly shocked when he felt none of this, and could still see out of both eyes.

Looking towards the spot he had just stood at, he saw Jiraiya the toad sage holding on to Danzo's hand. He had managed to slow down Danzo enough that he was able to Shunshin away unharmed.

Danzo was angry. His plan had been fool proof. He would provoke the Uchiha into attempting the coup, and then send in his root to kill them all, collecting all of their eyes at the same time. Then he would use the following outbreak of shock and anger to take over the village and lead it as it was meant to be. But then that damn Uchiha had to rat the rest out. However he did give Danzo another great idea. With Shisui's Mangekyou, he would be unstoppable! And damn it, he was so close too! But now? Now this bumbling idiot who had been a thorn in his side even since he had tried to gain control of the Jinchuriki brat had ruined another great plan! Oh he would pay! Performing a specific signal, he summoned his ROOT agents. Or he tried to that is.

"I wouldn't count on your little underlings, Danzo- _Sama_ ; right now they're all dead." Jiraiya was angry. He knew that Danzo was a little obsessed with power, but this? This was going too far. "Surrender now and perhaps your punishment can be softened."

Danzo just screamed in rage, rushing the renowned toad sennin. Jiraiya blocked they attack, and pinned Danzo down. Clearly the man had lost it. Gone was the renowned ' _Shinobi no Yami'._ All that remained was a man driven by his power hungry ways. Motioning Shisui over, Jiraiya asked for a sleeping genjutsu to be placed on him.

They heard a noise and, looking up, were witness to the departing members of the council. The meeting was over.

* * *

"I am sorry, Hokage-dono. I have failed" Jiraiya and Shisui had made it back to the Hokage tower where they quickly informed the aging Hokage of the events of that night. "This was to be the final meeting. Soon the coup will take place. It is now too late" Shisui bowed his head as tears fell. Itachi, who had been called in soon after the arrival of the others, was also hiding a few tears.

"Then we have no choice. Itachi, please prepare yourself. Tonight what we feared has come to pass. Are there any final things that you want done?" "Hai, Hokage. Please protect my brother, that is all I ask." It will be done." "Thank you." With that, Itachi and Shisui prepared to leave.

"Wait one moment!" Jiraiya spoke. "I just thought of something…"

* * *

It was a cold, calm and peaceful night in the village The only sound was that of the Inuzuka dogs barking, and even that was muted. The only sight was that of the ANBU and Military police, doing their patrols.

The Uchiha district was also quite, as the patrols took place. The only hint of life was a light coming from inside one of the main house's windows. The reason being? Uchiha Fukaku was holding an emergency meeting.

"What is the matter, Fugaku-sama, I thought that last night's meeting was to be the final one! You said it yourself! Too many will draw suspicion unto us!"

"Silence! It has come to my attention, that we have a traitor in our midst" At this the room broke into a hushed debate, before the man who spoke up first, again spoke. "Who is it, and how have you come about this, _information?"_ Curios, the others in the room faced their leader

"My son, Itachi has informed me, however, he did not tell me who the suspect was, instead he will reveal it tonight, once we are all here."

"Then who is missing, my Lord?" "Just Tajime." As he said this, the man entered, apologising for being late.

"Good, we are all here, Itachi. Now please explain." As soon as he began speaking, Itachi materialised from the shadows. He didn't say anything just yet, but waited for something. That something was Shisui appearing on the other side, Tanto already drawn.

"What is the meaning of this Shisui?! Itachi, is he the one you spoke of?! Itachi drew his tanto before replying "No, father" and with that, he took of the Uchiha heads', well, head.

Before the others could even react, Itachi and Shisui moved through the room, killing all of those involved in the coup. Because of the suddenness and shock, none of the rebel Uchiha could react and soon all inside lay dead. Next the two pulled out a scroll each and unsealed the bodies of the six root agents, gave the borrowed tantos back, while also blooding the others. They then proceeded about the room, making sure that it appeared as though the six root ninja had committed the crime. Once done, they left silently, heading straight for the rendezvous point that Jiraiya and the Hokage set up

* * *

As the sun broke the horizon, a slight breeze moved through the air, bringing the smell of flowers on the air. All was happy and peaceful in the village as men and women got up, smiling at such a beautiful day. All was joyful, all was happy, all was…" **AAAHHHHHHHH"**

* * *

It did not take long for the news to spread. The Uchiha clans' leaders had all been assassinated last night. The only clue as to the person who ordered the hit, were six, blank masked ANBU.

Obviously when it was revealed that the six were ANBU, the Uchiha clan was up in arms, demanding the Hokage's head. However, the outcry was soon turned around when Jiraiya arrived, and proclaimed for all to hear, that It was not Sarutobi Hiruzen who had commanded those men, But Shimura Danzo! The Traitor had secretly created his own version of ANBU that he called 'ROOT' and had ordered the attack for some unknown reason.

Jiraiya explained that he had become suspicious of Danzo when he noticed some odd occurrences. Using his spying techniques honed over years of practise. Jiraiya had discovered the plot, but had been too late in stopping it. He did however manage to corner Danzo as he was escaping the district. The man was awaiting trail, and would be punished accordingly

This explanation satisfied those involved, and the families left to mourn the loss of their loved ones. In the crowd, standing together, were Shisui, Itachi and his mother, Mikoto who was holding a sobbing Sasuke.

* * *

In a secret room in the Hokage tower, Jiraiya, Shisui, Hiruzen and his older teammates, held trail over Shimura Danzo. All the evidence pointed at Danzo, and he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. It was to be carried out publicly in several days' time

Three days later, the village square was cleared and a barricade set up. A raised platform was built so that all could witness the act.

As the ANBU brought Danzo towards the platform, those in the crowd, many of whom were Uchiha, hurled curses, insults and even some rocks at the man.

Finally he reached the platform, where he was met by the Hokage. Sarutobi spoke up once Danzo was forced to his knees in front of him. "Today you bear witness to the execution of the Traitor, Shimura Danzo. He has been found guilty of the murder of the leaders of our esteemed Uchiha clan, the attempted murder of Uchiha Shisui and Jiraiya. Danzo, what have you ta say for yourself?" Danzo glared at Hiruzen, but kept his mouth shut.

After a moments silence, The Hokage continued. "Then let us continue." Motioning to the nearby ANBU, he was handed a large, ornate odachi, meant for executions. Taking the blade in both hands, Sarutobi prepared to take the life of his once best friend. With a calm intake of breath, he brought the blade down, severing Danzo's head from his body.

As the crowd cheered, Sarutobi Hiruzen cleaned the blade with rice paper, and then gave it back to the ANBU member. The body was taken away to be buried in an unmarked grave. Sarutobi sighed as he stepped down of the platform. It had been a long week.

* * *

2 weeks later (class was on hold so that the Uchiha's could recover)

* * *

It took a while, but eventually the talk of the Uchiha Murder as it became known, died down. Life returned to the way it was before. Or at least it did for most people. For those who had lost family in the attack, life would never be the same again.

Uchiha Sasuke was one of those people. In one night, he had lost his father, who he had seen moments before, and the only reason he was still alive was because he had been invited over by Naruto for a sleepover. Fortunately, his mother, Mikoto, had been out on a mission and so knew nothing of the coup

Heading to class, the boy kept his head bowed, an aura of depression surrounding him. He just lay his head down when he sat down, ignoring all those around him. He especially ignored all of the girls who spoke of him, gushing about how brave and cool he was, and how they would _"mend his broken heart"_. Even when his best friend sat down next to him, he ignored everything. That was a mistake

One thing you learn early on with Uzumaki Naruto is, ignore him at your own peril.

Naruto started out by just talking to Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke, ah, how are you?" … "Ah, Sasuke?" … "Oi! Sasuke!". Nothing. Next plan. "Sasuke!" poke. "Oi!" poke "Answer me." Poke. This continued for a while, but still nothing. "If you don't answer me, then I'm going to do that thing you made me promise never to do again!" At this Sasuke just glared at him, as if saying "You wouldn't dare!"

"Alright, you asked for it!" Sasuke paled but refused to speak, not believing Naruto would actually do it. Another big mistake

With that, Naruto began his attack, going for Sasuke weakest point. His ribs. It wasn't long before the Uchiha heir's will weakened and he began… to Laugh?!

"Bwahahahaha! OK! OK! I GIVE! Just stop! Hahahaha" Naruto smirked. Sasuke's most embarrassing weakness? He couldn't handle being tickled. The rest of the class watched the two friends antics. Soon after Sasuke's laughter died down, Iruka-sensei entered the classroom.

"Alright kids, settle down. Welcome back after the short break. Today's lesson will be on…"

* * *

Naruto caught up to Sasuke on his way out, as Iruka –sensei had wanted to talk to him privately. "Hey" he asked "Hey" Sasuke's response was still not as energetic as it used to be, but it was improving. "Ah, you wanna come to Ichiraku's with me? I'll pay?"

Sasuke's first thought was to decline, but he knew that if Naruto was willing to actually pay for his Ramen, instead of mooching off of others, then he had best go. "Sure, why not?"

And so the due changed directions, heading towards the Ramen stand. On the way, the continued to talk about this and that, never broaching the Uchiha Murder. Slowly, Sasuke began to regain his former self, but it would take many months before he was back to normal.

When they entered the Ramen stand, the noticed that it was empty, except for one other person. A girl from their class with short, dark blue hair sat at one of the stools. She was the same girl that Naruto had recognised, but couldn't actually remember.

As they took their seats, Naruto began to try and discreetly look at the girl. The keyword being try, if the girls' blushing was anything to go by.

Elbowing him in the ribs, Sasuke told him to stop staring. Naruto tried to explain to him that he recognised her, but he just wouldn't listen. In fact he turned to the girl and introduced himself and Naruto. When she told them her name, something in the blonds head clicked, and a rush of memories came to him. Memories of playing in a park with a little, blue haired girls with white eyes.

His eyes widened as a name came to his lips, and before he could do anything, he spoke. "Hina-chan?" when those words left his lips, the girls' own eyes widened, and she blushed. Sasuke, realising that this girl was the heir of the Hyuga clan, was just about to hit Naruto on the back of the head, when she spoke again.

"N-Naru-chan? Y-y-you remember m-me?" Instead of replying he just leapt forward and hugged the girl, the first person to ever be his friend. This of course caused her to blush and then pass out, which in turn caused Naruto to laugh in remembrance. They spoke of many things after Hinata regained conciousness, what they had been up too since that fateful meeting a few years back.

While all of this was happening, Sasuke just sat there, bewildered. It took a while, but eventually he got the story out of them. As the three began to talk, Naruto loudly, Sasuke softer but just as strong and Hinata soft, stuttering and shy, they never noticed the little toad sitting just out of sight.

By the time the three left the stall, they had vowed to play together tomorrow, and from then on, the three students would be as thick as thieves.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello one and all and thank you for reading this chapter. Was it good, bad, mediocre? Just send in a review telling me your thoughts!**

 **Today I would like to thank the following reviewers!**

 **Rose Tiger**

 **Acnologia Prime**

 **Luqie10**

 **Lancecomwar**

 **Hinatagirl0805**

 **KuraiKakou**

 **Shadow-Shinobi666**

 **Lolly1o1**

 **Gwb620**

 **And the two guest reviewers**

 **Your support helps me quite a lot and it always makes me smile when I read your reviews. Thanks for the encouragement.**

 **I would also like to thank my new Beta, Penguin Lord0029. Thank you for your hard work!**

 **If you have any questions, or anything you wish to suggest, please feel free to send it in, and if it can work out, I'll definitely add it.**

 **To Luqie10, I hope this answers some of your concerns, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to PM me XD**

 **Once again, Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, favourite and are followers. I leave you with this quote**

" **It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish." J.R.R Tolkien**


	5. Chapter 5 A New Life: The best days

A True Godfather

Ch4 – A New Life: Shinobi Academy: The best days of our lives

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **Disclaimor: If there was a way to own Naruto, I haven't heard of it**

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. _Nelson Mandela_

Last time on: A True Godfather

" _N-Naru-chan? Y-y-you remember m-me?" Instead of replying he just leapt forward and hugged the girl, the first person to ever be his friend. This of course caused her to blush and then pass out, which in turn caused Naruto to laugh in remembrance._

 _While all of this was happening, Sasuke just sat there, bewildered. It took a while, but eventually he got the story out of them. As the three began to talk, Naruto loudly, Sasuke softer but just as strong and Hinata soft, stuttering and shy, they never noticed the little toad sitting just out of sight._

 _By the time the three left the stall, they had vowed to play together tomorrow, and from then on, the three students would be as thick as thieves._

* * *

Year one

* * *

After the excitement of the first several weeks, the following days felt slow in comparison. Soon Naruto got caught up in a routine, though it didn't help that the school days were split up into five days, and hardly differed.

Day 1 was conditioning, where the teachers would take them through the first year obstacle course, followed by the leaf exercise. The obstacle course was a small set of swings, bridges, ropes and harmless hidden traps, designed to slow down and irritate instead of harm. They would also have lectures on basic chakra theory and healthy living.

Day 2 consisted of basic taijutsu forms and basic sparring. Afterword's they would have a lecture on history.

Day 3, more conditioning, and a lecture on the Shinobi Rules.

On Day 4, they had Bukijutsu practise, where they began to seriously learn how to throw kunai and shuriken. They also learnt how to be silent and use stealth and how to set up and detect traps (only the basics however.)

Day 5, the last in the week, saw them going through the hand signs, and ending the day with a test of the week's work.

During the course of each day, the teachers would also go through other studies, such as Mathematics, Geography, Science, Business, Language (Spelling and context) and other such subjects. These courses were put in for those students who never made genin, allowing them a chance in the village.

Other than the Uchiha massacre, nothing really interesting happened that first year. Sasuke became the source of affection for many a young girl, his two biggest fans being the Yamanaka heir and her best friend, the pink haired Haruno Sakura. Every day the two would fight to sit next to Sasuke, only to lose to Naruto and Hinata.

Hinata quickly became good friends with Sasuke, easily putting behind her, her clan's animosity towards Uchiha's. When the fangirls became a problem, Hinata opted to sit next to him rather than Naruto, protecting his left side from being violated. She still stuttered and would faint if Naruto got to close or if he accidentally touched her, but she was improving.

Naruto quickly learnt not to get in between Sakura and Ino's fights; instead he let them distract each other while he sat down next to his friend. He and Sasuke continued to egg each other on, pushing the other to do better. However, no matter how hard he tried, nor how hard Sasuke pushed him, he still struggled with the written exams.

During the year, they met and befriended a number of fellow students; however, six of them really outshone the rest.

Inuzuka Kiba, the son of the Inuzuka clan head and the second loudest person in the class. His mother, Tsume is the head of the clan, making him and his older the clan heirs. He was also quite skilled (for his age) in taijutsu, but like Naruto struggled in the book learning area. Naruto learnt something interesting one day, when Kiba mentioned that he didn't have a father. Apparnetly his mother scared him off! To this day, no one knew what happened to the man, but rumor has it he is now part of the ANBU, and has vowed never to reveal himself. But hey, kids will think of anything, right?

Next on the list, Aburame Shino was a quiet child, always keeping to himself. It didn't help that he had a fascination with insects, although this was due to his clan's special abilities. They are a clan of insect users. They commonly use a species known as the kikaichū, though there are other species available. At birth, an Aburame child is offered up as a nest, allowing hundreds of thousands of the insects to live just under their skin, feeding off of their chakra. In return the kikaichū allow the Aburame to use special techniques without hand signs or having to convert chakra.

Haruno Sakura is the daughter of two civilians. Having no other ninja relatives, she doesn't have anyone to really guide her. Instead she "apprenticed" herself under Yamanaka Ino. She is incredibly book smart, being the smartest Kunoichi and second smartest student in the class. Unfortunately she is also a fangirl, and so she does not push herself as much as she should.

Yamanaka Ino is the heir to the Yamanaka clan, a clan that specialises in mind ninjutsu, allowing them to easily invade someone's mind. This allows them to either steal information or actually take control of the victim, forcing them to do what they want. However doing so leaves them vulnerable, as they are actually using their soul as an attack. When the use their jutsu, their body becomes immobile as it no longer houses a soul.

Akimichi Choji was a BIG BONED child, who enjoyed eating. His clan are all _big boned_ as their jutsu requires them to use up a lot of calories. Never, ever call him fat. He's best friends with Nara Shikamaru.

Nara Shikamaru is one of the smartest people in Konoha, even though he is still a child. He comes from the Nara clan, a clan famous for its deer, shadow users, brains and laziness. They have also been Konoha's top strategists since its founding. Shikamaru prefers to spend his time in class sleeping, and never pushes himself when out on the field. He also enjoys playing shogi, and has not yet lost a game except to his father.

* * *

Year 2

* * *

In their second year at the Academy, Jiraiya increased the difficulty of Naruto's morning routine. 20 laps around the estate, followed by a doubling of the workout system set up by Jiraiya. Once he had mastered the first stage of the leaf exercise, he moved on to the next stage, moving the leaf in a set pattern. At the academy, the work also increased, as they started working on more advanced stuff. The days were still sorted the same, however, there was some differences.

Day 1 still highlighted physical strengthening; however the actual course was more advanced than before. Students would begin on a raised platform and have to hope across poles planted in the ground. From there the needed to climb over a wall, hurdle over then roll under a set of horizontal bars. Next they had crawl along the ground in mud, avoiding the wires criss crossing above their heads. These wires were electrified with a small ration jutsu. Just powerful enough to force a small cry from someone, but not enough to seriously hurt them. Once that was through they had a short sprint to the end. Throughout this they had to avoid all sorts of traps. Afterword's the continued to learn about chakra and how to live healthy lives

Day 2 they once again had taijutsu practise, but they learnt more advanced forms of the academy taijutsu style. This style was created to allow for all forms, so even if they were learning a clan style, the academy style did not affect it. The lecture was till on history but also included a bit on tactics

Day 3 was another few runs through the second year obstacle course, followed by more advanced Shinobi rules

On Day 4, they still had Bukijutsu practise, where they continued to throw kunai and shuriken at targets. Their stealth and trap setting courses went from theory to actual practise, and every day they would have a competition to see who could do the best. Throughout the year, Naruto came top in this course. This was also the only course where he would get full marks for the written side.

Day 5 they carried on with learning the hand signs, but they also learnt to do it faster. Once again there was a test at the end.

It quickly became obvious the Sasuke was going to be the rookie of the year. He was the top student in everything but stealth and trap building, where Naruto outshone him.

Hinata had come a long way since that first year. She no longer stuttered and only fainted occasionally when around Naruto. She had also quickly risen to the top, being the best Kunoichi in taijutsu and Kenjutsu and the second best when it came to written exams.

Naruto had come along way as well. His classroom marks were not the greatest, but no longer were they the worst. He also made his mark in the academy when he was dared by Sasuke (who had become annoyed at being beaten once again by Naruto in the stealth challenge) to steal something from one of the Jonin and then remain hidden. The catch was that he couldn't stay in the same place for more than 10 seconds and that he had to wear something incredibly visible.

Fortunately, Naruto knew just the Jonin to steal from, and so Hatake Kakashi came home one morning, after a long mission, to discover that his precious Icha Icha Paradise had been taken, the only clue a small handwritten note saying _'come find me, Kashi-niisan.'_ For the rest of the day, Kakashi went from one spot to another, searching for the gaki, however every time he thought he had him, he would only find a small picture of a stick figure running with a book. Kakashi gave up on the search at just before sunset, vowing to get revenge the next day. When he again entered his house, the neighbourhood was rocked with his scream of irritation. There, sitting where he had left it was his book, and next to it was a crumpled up orange jacket, a jacket he could have sworn he had seen at least a dozen times in his search.

From that day on, nobody disputed Naruto's abilities in stealth.

* * *

Year 3

* * *

In Naruto's third year, Jiraiya once again increased his training regime. He doubled the physical exercises, and also an obstacle course filled with traps. For chakra control, Naruto now had to balance other things on his body, while still moving the leaf in different set patterns. It was also the year that Jiraiya began to teach Naruto Fuinjutsu; however he made Naruto swear never to practise without Jiraiya around, nor to use anything he made unless he was given the ok by Jiraiya. At the Academy, the days remained the same, except for the more advanced work.

Day 1 the obstacle course once again improved. Students would still begin on a raised platform and have to hope across poles planted in the ground; however the polls no moved up and down randomly, and instead of having ground underneath, they were situated in a small pool of water 10 meters deep. Once done on the polls, they had to shimmy across a rope to reach land, and then hurdle over or roll under a set of moving horizontal bars. Next they again had crawl along the ground in mud, avoiding the wires criss crossing above their heads as well as non-poisonous snakes followed by a longer sprint to the end. Throughout this they had to avoid all sorts of traps. Afterword's the continued to learn about chakra and how to live healthy lives

Day 2 they went through even more advanced taijutsu forms, finally completing their academy style. The lecture now consisted less on history, and more on tactics employed by those in history.

Day 3 still followed the obstacle course of day 1, followed by the final set of Shinobi rules, as well as psychological training, preparing them for their first kills, etc.

Day 4 the Bukijutsu practise now included moving targets and throwing multiple weapons at once. The stealth and trap setting was still dominated by Naruto, who quickly made a name for himself amongst the village shinobi.

Day 5 saw them finish up on hand signs, and just continuing to improve the speed at which they moved. The end of the day still included a test of the week's work

Sasuke continued to outshine the other students, and word quickly spread that Mikoto and Fugaku had created a second prodigy. He still hadn't awakened his sharingan, something his brother had been able to do at a young age. For this reason, he refused to accept the title of Uchiha prodigy and continued to work hard, improving his skills so that he could match up to Itachi.

Speaking of Itachi, Hiruzen once again decided to retire, and had nominated Itachi for the post. The other two nominees were Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya, neither of which wanted the post, but had been nominated by the village council. Naruto had put his name forth, but was obviously rejected. The winner would only be announced the following year, as there was a six month period of testing to be done.

Hinata now no longer stuttered nor did she feint around Naruto. This new found confidence allowed her to gain respect amongst her clan, especially her father. At first, Hiashi believed it was a result of his training, but one look at her school life made him rethink this. With the realization that it was not him, but her friends that helped, he changed his method of training her; instead of being harsh he became supportive. This at first confused Hinata, but as soon as she had become used to this new father, she flourished. However her newfound relationship with her father and respect with the elders further distanced her from her cousin, Neji, who believed her to now be just like the rest of the main branch.

With his reputation from the previous year, Naruto was easily one of the more popular boys, even with many of the civilian born students being told to keep away from him. He continued to cement his name in history, especially when he decided to start pranking anyone that was mean to him or his friends. People soon learnt not to mess with him or his friends, as no matter how skilled a shinobi they thought they were, he always found a way to get even. His marks in the written exams also continued to improve, although he had resigned himself to the fate of never being more than in the middle in that field.

When Jiraiya began tutoring him in Fuinjutsu, he thought that he would still struggle with the art. This proved to be so far from the truth, the East was closer to the West in comparison. He took to it like a duck to water, having an innate ability to read the seals, something even Jiraiya struggled with. Not to say he could just see a seal an be able to tell you what it was and what it did, but while Jiraiya had to decode each part of the seal separately to see what it did, Naruto was able to read it like a scroll. But like every language, he needed to learn the words first. Thus Naruto's third year ended

* * *

Year 4

* * *

The fourth year at the academy proved to be a tough one. Jiraiya increased the difficulty of the workout routine, as well as teaching him how to cling to objects with his chakra. Every day, Naruto would have to run up and down a tree and once he had mastered that ability, he had to do his physical exercises on the tree. This included pull ups on a branch where he could only use his palms, followed by sit ups with only his feat attached to the branch. Jiraiya also started getting Naruto to wear training weights while he was at it, as well as further improving Naruto's Fuinjutsu skills. Naruto could now safely produce his own kibaku fuda (explosive tags) and sealable scrolls. Along with Jiraiya increasing his workload, the academy subjects also changed, as more advanced stuff was introduced.

Day 1 did not change much, with only the obstacle courses traps becoming more dangerous, and the speed of the moving objects changing. The snakes in the mud pit were now of a breed whose poison inflicted a terrible pain upon its victim. The Horizontal bars now had a repeating current going through them, forcing the students to be faster or risk a painful jolt. The rope that they needed to shimmy across would now occasionally plunge into the water, and then quickly pull back up. The water was also kept at just below freezing, with a small wave maker preventing the water from freezing over. Afterword's was a lecture on the Shinobi lifestyle and coping mechanisms

Day 2 consisted of tournament style taijutsu matches, where the students could use any style the wished. The top five students, in order were Hinata, Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto and Choji. Hinata and Sasuke were evenly matched however, and so would often swap places in the top spot. At the end of the day they had a lecture on advanced tactics.

Day 3 was now all about survival theory. From camping to extreme conditions to first aid, they learnt it all. They also had a lecture on the different equipment used by everyday shinobi, as well as the pros and cons of the Hyōrōgan and Zōketsugan, the chakra and blood replenishing pills. The psychological tests continued, preparing them for the future

Day 4 was the most exciting of the five days, as it saw the students begin to learn their first jutsu! Starting with the basic henge, followed by the kawarimi and lastly the classic bunshin. Once they had mastered the henge, the stealth training took on a whole new level as they began to learn how to impersonate other people and animals. Naruto still took the top position, able to almost naturally take the form of other people. In fact, his henge was so realistic, he was never caught. Whenever he was about to be discovered, he would lose his tail for a second and henge into something or someone else. He was also the only student to be able to pull off a sealess and smokeless henge, something even some Jonin struggled with.

Day 5 was set aside for specialization classes. These were the unique classes that students could choose to take, classes that would define their career as shinobi. Sasuke took the advanced Kenjutsu courses, taking a strong liking to the chokuto sword style, Hinata decided to go for the basic first aid courses, Naruto was the only student who took the Fuinjutsu course, a course that Jiraiya had begun when he had adopted Naruto. Sakura, Ino and the rest of the girls in the class all took the special Kunoichi training, this included makeup application and flower arranging. Kiba took a veterinary course, suggested by his sister. Choji followed Shikamaru in basic astronavigation and Shino took a private course in entomology. After their special classes there was a test on all of the week's work, minus the work done in the specialization classes.

Sasuke soon became the second best stealth specialist in the class, as he would often follow Naruto around and try to keep up with him. By doing so he had managed to eventually get down the sealess henge, but could not get it to change without smoke. By the time the final year test of his skills came along, he had proven his spot as future rookie of the year, getting 100% in all of his tests. Half way through the year, his brother had been elected as the next Hokage, causing a renewal in the life of the fangirls. With his brother as Hokage, people now expected even greater things from him, but all that he wanted to do was become strong, and have fun with his friends.

Hinata was close behind Sasuke, and was easily the number one candidate for Kunoichi of the year, having an aggregate score of 97%, having lost out to Sakura in the written test. She was also a much more confident girl, nothing like the little princess she was when she began her studies: However, even with all of her confidence, she could never confess her feelings for Naruto, no matter how hard she tried.

Naruto was now considered to be the Prank King of Konoha, having gotten away with countless pranks, pranks that no one could ever prove he pulled, even though they knew it was him. He also continued to excel at hiding away in plain sight, having almost mastered the henge. His goal now was to get his henges to flow smoothly from one to the next, instead of a straight up change. This would allow him to change even when he was seen, provided he did it slow and subtle enough. As for his Fuinjutsu, with Jiraiya, a recognised master in the art teaching him, he was quickly proving to be a natural. For all of this, he still could never manage to get the bunshin to work for him. It always came out looking like some kind of zombie, before expelling.

* * *

Year 5 (Final year)

* * *

The final year at the academy came so quickly, it felt like just the other day he had first woken up, late for school! With the final year, came some final changes. Jiraiya's training regime took on a whole new level. To increase Naruto's reflexes, he hired a newly minted tokubetsu Jonin to practise her aim on him while he was running, forcing him to dodge kunai, shuriken and senbon at a moment's notice. For chakra control and also physical strength, Naruto had to do all other exercise while hanging from a tree. This included weight lifting as well as acrobatic exercises, as the hired help would continue to torment him, doing all in her power to frighten him, and she had a lot of frightening power. When he was done with his morning routine, he would sprint to the academy, all the while he would wear the new resistance seal Jiraiya had created for him. Once at the Academy, his day would truly begin.

Day 1, the obstacle course was no longer in use, as the expected their students to keep up their physical fitness. Instead a trap course was used, allowing the students to practise their trap detection and dodging reflexes. Jiraiya organised with Iruka that Naruto be left out of this course. Instead, he was enlisted to set up the actual course, creating a gauntlet that quickly became famous, and was soon used by older Genin and newly minted Chunin. There was even a rumour that the ANBU had hired Naruto to set up a course. Naruto; however strongly denied this.

Day 2 didn't change any from the previous year, with the top five still being Hinata/Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto and Choji.

Day 3 took the theory they used in the previous year, and turned it into practise. The teachers also taught them the 'travelling ten' tm. The last thing in the day was the final psychological tests to prepare them for their chosen life.

Day 4 the teachers continued to teach the students more about the basic three, as well as more in depth subterfuge. They also went through the basics of Genjutsu and how to release it.

Day 5 continued with the specialization classes, and the end of the week tests.

Sasuke was easily going to be rookie of the year, having mastered all that was set out for him to learn. While talk of prodigies and geniuses were now a thing of the past, he still strived to do his best, his only goals in life being to best his brother, a lofty aim by any standards, considering his brother was Hokage. This was due to the fact that whenever Sasuke tried to beat him, he would always poke him on the temple. His other goal was to just have fun with his friends.

Hinata had easily taken the top spot for Kunoichi of the year, only ever losing to Sakura in her studies and even then it was only by a small margin. She still could not work up the courage to admit her feelings, but in any other case, her courage was unwavering. Her goals in life where to admit her feelings help her clan and have fun with her friends.

Naruto had been worried. When it came to stealth, taijutsu, tactics etc. he was either the best, or near enough; however when it came to written tests, he was barely above average, and for the life of him, he still couldn't do the basic bunshin. Eventually he'd gone to Jiraiya, who had explained first to him, then the Iruka, that he simply had too much chakra. To that end, he had been given a high level kinjutsu, the Kage Bunshin as a replacement. He was easily able to use the technique, and with it his hopes of passing increased. Now he just had to get home and sleep. Tomorrow held the Academy Graduation Test, and all his hopes and dreams of being a ninja. He couldn't wait.

* * *

 **NB**

 **Hello Everyone! Sorry for the filler and the long wait. I just couldn't get any motivation for this one. Hope you enjoy! :D**

 **I wanna give a huge shout out to my fiftieth reviewer hinatagirl0805!**

 **To all my other reviewers**

 **thormanator**

 **Bryanchsos3**

 **Chewie Cookies**

 **Flamingpheonixlbj2**

 **infernogates**

 **Rose Tiger**

 **kamui5**

 **Shadow-Shinobi666**

 **123**

 **Mhornarik**

 **SherlockHolmes322434**

 **gwb620**

 **Kairan1979**

 **bigfan22**

 **sketchtheunicorn**

 **Louis Romero**

 **Sageofchaos**

 **watson85**

 **You guys are the best! With so much encouragement, I just had to put something up. Don't worry a have an actual plan for next chapter! :D**

 **Don't know how hard it was, but can anyone guess the Tokubetsu Jonin? Should be quite easy!**

 **Thanks again to** **Penguin Lord0029 for being my Beta.**

 **I hope this chapter was alright, if not, please send in your thoughts (Just don't flame :P) All questions and suggestions are welcomed!**

 _ **There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.**_ **Unknown.**


	6. Chapter 6 A New Life: Graduation

A True Godfather

Ch 6 – A New Life: Shinobi Academy: Graduation

"Naruto!" Normal speech  
'What is he doing?!' Thought  
 _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Techniques  
 **"KILL,KILL,KILL!"** Demons

 **Disclaimor: When Life gave me lemons, I made lemonade. Now if Life would only give me the rights to Naruto.**

"Now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art." - _Neil Gaiman_

Last time on: A True Godfather

 _Naruto had been worried. When it came to stealth, taijutsu, tactics etc. he was either the best, or near enough; however when it came to written tests, he was barely above average, and for the life of him, he still couldn't do the basic bunshin. Eventually he'd gone to Jiraiya, who had explained first to him, then the Iruka, that he simply had too much chakra. To that end, he had been given a high level kinjutsu, the Kage Bunshin as a replacement. He was easily able to use the technique, and with it his hopes of passing increased. Now he just had to get home and sleep. Tomorrow held the Academy Graduation Test, and all his hopes and dreams of being a ninja. He couldn't wait._

* * *

Graduation Day

* * *

As the sun once more rose above the Hokage monument, illuminating Konohagakure with its warmth giving light, children all over the village awoke and rushed to get ready. The reason? Today was the day that decided the fate of many of them. Today, at the Konoha Ninja Academy, the graduation test was to be held.

* * *

In the Aburame Clan, Shino quietly dressed himself, strapping on his kunai holster, followed by his commonly worn cloak. Finally he reverently picked up his newest set of dark glasses, a traditional Aburame gift to those about to become genin. Most non-clansmen had theories about the significance regarding the dark glasses. Some say it is for hiding the clan's compound eyes, others believed it allowed the naturally stoic members another barrier to hide their emotions. None of this was true however. The reason was simple. It made them look badass.

* * *

Akimichi Choji was enjoying a small breakfast of cereal, toast, fruit, pancakes, bacon and eggs, different meats, soups and other assorted dishes. When he had finished he thanked his mother and proceeded to head to the Academy, excited for the day. Quickly making sure he had everything, he counted what he had. "Snacks, check! Kunai holster, check! Backup snacks, check! Hyōrōgan and Zōketsugan capsules, check! Emergency snacks, Check! Alright looks like I'm already!" and with that the big-boned child was off, ready to ace the exam, but first he needed to meet his eternally late friend.

* * *

Haruno Sakura decided to once again skip her meal in favour of her figure. Rushing out the door, she was quick to meet up with her best friend and rival, and together they made a mad dash for the Academy, a silent bet between the two that the first there would get to sit next to Sasuke-kun.

* * *

Hyuga Hiashi looked down on his eldest, a face full of pride as his eldest daughter prepared herself for the days' events. It was extraordinarily different from five years ago where he would look down at her in contempt in an attempt to make her stronger and, if Hiashi was honest with himself, out of anger at the death of his brother. Fortunately, one boy had been all that was needed to change that. By improving Hinata's confidence in herself, Naruto had helped in more ways than he would probably ever realise. He only prayed that his wife would be able to forgive him for his earlier mistakes. As his heir left the compound, accompanied by her Jounin guard, the newest member to the Jounin club, he smiled, happy in the knowledge that his child would now grow strong.

* * *

Inuzuka Kiba was excited. Not only was today the day of graduation, it was also the day he could show off his newest partner. Akimaru was one of the latest Inuzuka pups and had been given to him four months ago, but he was only now being allowed to bring him to the Academy.

Placing the pup in his favourite place atop his head and the covering him a bit with the hood of his jacket, Kiba began his jog to the Academy, saying goodbye to his mother on the way out. His sister had already wished him luck but couldn't stay to see him off as she had duties at the Inuzuka Vetinary Clinic.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru was busy watching the clouds drift pass when his best friend showed up and together the two left for the Academy. Shikamaru turned his head to look back at the spot he had just occupied, a sighed "troublesome" leaving his mouth.

* * *

Yamanaka Ino was racing down the street with her best friend in attempt to decide who would sit next to their dream boyfriend. Ino had long since realised that no matter how fast they were, they still wouldn't sit next to Sasuke-kun. Still she did these kinds of things, if only to motivate herself and her best friend to improve themselves. With a crash, the two entered the Academy door at the same time, momentarily getting themselves stuck before falling to the floor in a heap. As the two stood up and began to argue about who one, she inwardly congratulated Sakura. She had improved! Just last week she was always losing their little challenges and now they were tied!

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke smiled as he waved goodbye to his mother, a small bento in his hand. Outside he was greeted by his elder brother, Itachi. Casually reaching across, Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead, wishing him luck before Shunshining away before he could retaliate. Sasuke grumbled to himself about stupid brothers before making his way towards his and Naruto's meeting spot.

* * *

Uzumaki Naruto, the number one prank king, and most unpredictable Konoha citizen, was scared. Why you ask? The answer is a simple one. There were currently four jounin and about six Chunin searching all over for him. The reason? His greatest prank to date, the one that would put him down in the History books for sure! One just needed to look at the city's great monument to find out. He had managed to deface the village's proudest landmark, in broad daylight, wearing such a bright shade of orange as to hurt a blind man's eyes.

As three of the pursuers ran right past him, Naruto lowered down the camouflage sheet he had found inside Jiraiya's room and laughed until… "NARUTO!" Jumping about three feet in the air, Naruto clung to the overhanging wooden beams of the house. Below him stood Iruka-sensei and before he could react, Naruto found himself hogtied and slung over the back of the Chunin sensei. Behind him, he spotted Sasuke, who gave him his signature smirk. Glaring Naruto grumbled about traitorous best friends as Iruka moved off towards the Academy.

* * *

"Alright class, seeing as some of you…" glares at a hogtied Naruto. "seem to think you are more than ready for the exam, how about we have a quick refresher." At this the whole class groaned, most glaring at the bound Uzumaki. "As I call your name, please step up and show me your henge no jutsu, and no, you can't use that 'Oiroke no jutsu' of yours, Naruto! Now, first up Abadame Ziko." As one by one, the students each came up and performed the jutsu. Most transformed into Iruka or Mizuki, others into the Hokage. When it came time for Naruto however…

Without any movement or sign of the jutsu, Naruto began to change. Where Naruto once stood, sat a stray dog, begging for food. At first most of the class thought that Naruto had instead pulled off a kawarimi, however that quickly changed as the dog smirked in a way only a dog can, before jumping on top of Sasuke, knocking him down and then sitting obediently next to Hinata before ending the transformation.

Iruka just sighed, having forgotten that when it comes to the henge, no one was better than Naruto. Many an after prank chase had ended simply because Naruto would henge into either someone else, an animal or some other object common in the streets. To this day, no one, not even Jiraiya, was able to tell Naruto's henge apart from that of the real thing.

Congratulating everyone, he continued with the revision for the exam, going through the other basic jutsu, as well as giving the students a pop quiz. All too soon the bell rang.

"Alright everyone, you can head out for a twenty minute recess. When the bell rings again, you will all head in side and complete the written portion of the exam; I will be the proctor for the duration of that exam. From there you will meet Iruka-sensei outside where he will hold the physical aspect of the exam. Lastly we will call you inside one by one to perform the jutsu exam. The marking of the tests will be as follows. The written section will be out of 100 marks. The next test will be divided into three categories, First, Shuriken and Kunai throwing, with each being marked out of 50 for a total of 100. Next will be Taijutsu which will be marked out of 40. Lastly, you'll receive a mark out of 20 for each of the Jutsu you perform, for a total of 60 marks. The total marks for the entire exam is 300. To pass you will need to get 60% or 180 marks."

Iruka smiled before speaking. "Take this time to relax, and don't worry. I have confidence in each and everyone one of you being able to pass and move on to become strong Genin of our wonderful village. I know that the 'Will of Fire' burns strongly in each and every one of you. Remember, no matter what happens, I am proud of all of you!"

With that said, the two Chunin released the children and moved on to placing the tests at each of the desks. "You really believe what you said, huh?" asked Mizuki "Yes. I have every bit of confidence that they will pass _this_ test, but I'm not sure about the actual one. It does have a 33% fail rate so…" Mizuki nodded before speaking again. "It'll be interesting to see who passes and who will be in whose team. My money is on another Ino-Shika-Cho team, it can't be coincidence that the children of the original are all the same age." Laughing Iruka nodded at his best friend.

Just as the last of the scrolls were placed down and their conversation ended, the bell rang, signalling the end of recess, and the beginning of the exams. Once all of the students had returned to their seats, Iruka left the class to prepare the next set of tests.

"Alright everyone, as I just explained, this test will be out of 100. You have an hour to complete the test. When I call time, you will place your pens down. If anyone is still writing when I say this, you will fail this test. Should I catch anyone cheating, you will also fail this test. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask." When no one spoke, he continued.

"Alright, you may all begin…Now!" and with that, each student unravelled their scrolls' and began to read through the test, before beginning to answer.

* * *

Naruto was sweating. Not from any workout or such thing, but from fear, fear that he would fail the test, all because of some lousy written test. As he opened his scroll and looked at the first question, he began to panic. He didn't know the answer! Nor the next nor the next. The answers just wouldn't come to him. The Worst part was that he knew, he **KNEW** that he knew the answers, but he just couldn't recall them. Just as he thought he was about to pass out from fear, something his father once told him came to mind.

" _Naruto, remember this. If ever you are in a situation that seems hopeless, that there is nothing you can do, just breathe. In through the nose, out through the mouth, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Do this and LOOK. You will find a way. I guarantee it!"_

Taking his father's advice he began to breathe, and as he began the rhythmic breathing exercises, he began to notice things that he missed before, and with those things he began to piece together the puzzle that was his test.

By the time Mizuki had called time, Naruto was finished. By the skin of his teeth, but finished. As he left the room, Sasuke and Hinata move in to either side of him and the trio began to discuss the test.

"So, how'd you do, dobe?" "Better then you Teme!" Hinata just rolled her eyes as the two best friends and rivals once again began to butt heads. With two quick jabs she silenced both of them, a skill she was quite adapt at. "Quiet you two, Iruka is about to begin explaining his portion of the exam."

* * *

"Now, as Mizuki already explained, the next test will be divided into three categories, first will be the Shuriken and Kunai throwing tests and each will be marked out of 50 for a total out of 100, based on accuracy. The same rules apply as throughout the rest of your academy days. Non-vital area's count as one point. They are scratches, hitting the hand, arm, foot or leg. Hitting the stomach or chest will award you three points, and the heads and heart, five. Missing a target will cost you two points. You only get ten shurikan and ten kunai for this test, so use them wisely. Next on the list are the Taijutsu spars, where you will face me in five minute matches. You will be awarded marks for both your skill and adaptability, to a total out of 40. Lastly, you'll receive a mark out of 20 for each of the Jutsu you perform, for a total of 60 marks."

As Iruka's lengthy speech came to an end, all of the hopeful academy students began to murmur between each other, nervous about the tests.

"Alright, as I call your name, please step up to the range. We shall begin this exam as most shinobi fights begin, from a distance"

And so, one by one each student took their positions and began the test. Most did fairly well, having trained for many years in these arts, some however did abysmal. These were the trainees who didn't put in any extra effort into their training, instead gloating to the civilian children of their greatness as shinobis.

When it was her turn, Hinata got an almost perfect score, having missed the heart of one of the three training dummies due to Naruto's exuberant motivation when she began. With a score of 98 she stepped down, allowing the next person whose name was called to step up.

After a long wait, Sasuke stepped up to the challenge, his usual smirk in place. With his heritage as an Uchiha and his eldest brothers training, Sasuke managed to get an impressive score of 94, having hit the chest of one of the further and quicker dummies three times. As he passed Naruto who was on his way up, he smirked and said "Beat that dobe"

Naruto replied with a quick "Just watch me Teme, and you may learn something". When he got to the stand he looked at Sasuke and Hinata, the latter giving him two thumbs up. Taking aim, Naruto began to throw his shurikan, followed by his kunai. He got an impressive score of… 94, having missed the same throws as Sasuke.

As Naruto left the stage, Hinata began to laugh at the look of utter horror on his face. Sasuke just grunted as usual, but hid a small smirk himself.

* * *

"Now we come to the next part of the exam. After a shinobi has examined his opponent's reflexes and movements, he closes in for the attack. Thus we shall now begin the Taijutsu trails. As I call your name, please step into the ring and we will begin. Remember, the objective is not to defeat me, but to survive for five minutes however if you think you have what it takes to defeat me, feel free to do so. In a battle of survival you have three options. Retreat, stall for backup or retreating allies and defeating your opponent. All three of these tactics are viable in a battle for one's life. For the purpose of this exam however, only the latter two, stall or defeat, are optional. Let us begin."

As was to be expected, those trainees who hailed from clans or were born into shinobi families did the best. Each shinobi born child had been taught at the earliest age their families favoured Taijutsu style, while those who came from common backgrounds had to rely on the academy style Taijutsu. However this doesn't mean that a person not born into a shinobi family would fail. In fact there were one or two civilians who received higher scores then those born into the world of the Ninja.

Hinata managed to receive the highest score possible, having defeated Iruka within the first three minutes, thanks to her clan's deadly Taijutsu style. With a perfect score of 40, Hinata left the sparring ring, but not before undoing the damage done to the kind Chunin's chakra network.

When Sasuke's turn came he managed to be the second person to get the highest score, having defeated Iruka using the techniques that his older brother Itachi had taught him. By using these techniques he had managed to tie up Iruka with Ninja wire just as the clock reached the 4 minute mark, thus ending the match. As all the fangirls gushed over their Sasuke-kun, Sasuke just rolled his eyes and gave Naruto a cocky smile.

Seeing the smile, Naruto sent one right back, before entering the ring and facing his favourite Sensei. As soon as Iruka called for the match to start, Naruto was on him. Using everything his father had taught him about Gama-style Taijutsu, Naruto attacked Iruka. Due to not knowing about sage mode and its added benefits, the style wasn't as effective as it could be, however no one knew that and so whenever Naruto missed a punch or kick, everyone thought of it as a lack of skill on his part, everyone except Iruka. The instructor was quick to realise what was happening, having tested many a student before, and knowing when a missed kick or punch was purposeful or not.

Suddenly Naruto managed to grab a hold of Iruka, just as the clock rang, signalling the end of the spar. As Naruto released Iruka, the young Chunin congratulated Naruto on a good fight, awarding him 39 points, much to the confusion of most of the gathered students.

As Naruto left the ring, Iruka began to congratulate all of the students on their performance, before beginning the next and final part of the exams.

* * *

"Alright everyone, it's now time for the third and final part of these exams. Continuing with our battle theme, once a shinobi has faced his opponent, he may discover that he cannot win in hand to hand combat, and so he will switch to his Jutsu. The Academy Three, while basic, can also be the most powerful. Using kawarimi, a shinobi may avoid a lethal attack, he can then create a bunshin and then use the henge technique to hide in plain sight or escape unnoticed. As I call your names, please head to the exam room, where you shall be tested on your skills. For this part of the exam, both Mizuki and I will be proctoring so that we can spot any mistakes the other may have missed.

And so, one by one students would head inside of the building, most leaving with a hitai-ate but some without. As it came to be Hinata's turn, both Sasuke and Naruto wished her luck, and when she came out of the other side, a hitai-ate wrapped around her neck, both boys gave her a hug.

When Sasuke's turn came around he stoically marched into the room, and within minutes he exited, hitai-ate wrapped around his head and a small smile on his face.

Naruto's turn was next. Taking a deep breathe, he moved into the room, but not before receiving a hug and a good luck from Hinata. Sasuke just smirked and said; "You better pass dobe, I don't need a loser for a teammate." With that said, Naruto smirked back and replied; "You bet I will Dattebayo!"

Entering the classroom, the first thing Naruto saw was both Iruka and Mizuki sitting at the head desk. The next was the lone hitai-ate lying there. Taking a deep breathe, Naruto stood before the two sensei's.

"Alright Naruto, you're the last one. In order, you need to perform the kawarimi, followed by the henge, and usually the last would be the bunshin, but due to your unique circumstances, and by order of the Hokage, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu will suffice. You may begin."

Looking around, Naruto spotted a random log lying in the classroom. With a two hand signs, Naruto swapped places with the log and then again, so that he was once again standing before the two Chunin instructors. Without any hand signs or smoke, Naruto began to change and in seconds before the two instructors stood the previous Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

What really shocked the two senior shinobi wasn't the sealess, smokeless henge, but rather what they felt. While neither of the two where sensors, every shinobi was trained to be able to sense to a degree someone's chakra, and what these to felt wasn't Naruto's chakra, but the old Hokage's himself. When Naruto turned back, the feeling of his chakra did so as well and so the two put it off as a type of genjutsu he had Naruto formed the seal for the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and with three poofs of smoke, appeared three more blond pranksters.

Iruka smiled at his favourite student, never noticing the quick frown of Mizuki. "Congratulations Naruto! You pass!" Naruto began to jump for joy. He was a ninja! A shinobi of Konohagakure, one step closer to being Hokage! Iruka's smile widened at the boys exuberance "Ok Naruto, calm down. You need to head outside and wait with the rest of those that passed; we need to explain what happens next." "Ok Iruka-Sensei, Mizuki-sensei"

With that the blond ball of energy left the classroom and caught up with his two best friends, proudly wearing his hitai-ate.

* * *

Iruka and Mizuki stepped out into the courtyard where all the soon to be Genin stood. Iruka stepped forward to speak, however the noise of all the gathered children prevented that. Eye twitching, he performed a few seals all teachers knew. Using the dreaded Big Head no Jutsu, he quickly and loudly got the class to settle down. Once that was done, he took a deep breathe before continuing.

"Alright everyone, now that I have your attention, congratulations! You have passed the academy trials! However don't think that life is going to get easier from here on! You still have many more trials ahead, so prepare yourselves as best you can! Starting today, you become Genin of Konoha. You can no longer expect someone to hold your hand and guide you through life. It is now up too you! Tomorrow you will be told the members of your team, so don't be late. Now, go out and celebrate. You all deserve it!"

With that, the class resounded with cheers as everyone started celebrating. Only when the last student left did Mizuki speak up. "You didn't tell them about the next part of the exam, why not?" "Mizuki, you know as well as I do, the second stage of the Genin trials is a secret. As a shinobi, we aren't always privy to all the information, and must act on any new information discovered as quickly as possible." Mizuki smiled before replying. "That is true. It'll be interesting to see who passes the next stage. I cant wait!" Iruka missed the glint in Mizuki's' eyes as the two walked away.

* * *

It was a cold and cloudy evening, the only lights visible in the village was those of the Hokage tower and of the patrols moving throughout the village.

In the Uchiha district, Uchiha Sasuke returned to his room after a small dinner with his mother. His brother hadn't been able to join them as he was busy sorting out the teams for the new Genin and so the two had eaten together, discussing the day's events. Now he was in his room, preparing for bed when he noticed a letter on his desk. Opening he read it before smirking.

' _Yo Teme, let's celebrate passing with a spar. If you think you can take me, meet me by the Training forest at 11! Naruto!'_

Seeing that there wasn't much time left, He jumped out the window and raced towards the park, never noticing the eyes in the dark, or the evil smile on the persons face, before the shadow disappeared into smoke.

* * *

Hinata had just finished her meal with her parents and sister and was heading up stairs. After the excitement of the day, all she wanted to do was sleep. After finishing up her bedtime rituals, she was about to get into bed when she noticed the letter on her bedside stand. After reading it, she blushed before getting redressed and heading out.

' _Dear Hinata-chan, wanna go out for a walk in the forest? There's something I need to tell you. Alone. Please meet my there at 11. See you then. Dattebayo!'_

As Hinata snuck out of the clan compound, she never noticed the shadow in her haste, nor the smoke it left behind.

* * *

Naruto sighed. After coming home with the good news, his father had decided to celebrate. Unfortunately Jiraiya's celebrating constituted getting drunk and so he was currently passed out on the couch. As Naruto made his way to his room he laughed in joy at how great today had gone, and for the excitement of tomorrow's team setups.

However his laughter died when he got to his room. Sitting on his study table was a letter, and next to that letter were two items that immediately made him worry.

The first was a small bracelet that he knew belonged to Hinata and had been given to her by her mother. The other was an Uchiha ceremonial dagger that had been recently given to Sasuke by his brother, marking him as next in line as heir to the Uchiha Clan.

There was no way either would ever part with said objects. Unrolling the scroll, Naruto paled even further.

' _Naruto-kun, if you ever want to see your friends alive again, meet me by the central clearing in the forest by 11:30 or else. You know the one I'm talking about.'_

Naruto didn't know what to do. There was only a few minutes remaining, not enough time to rouse Jiraiya or seek help. With a hunted look he ran outside, sprinting as fast as he could into the forest, praying with all his heart that he would get there in time and that his friends wouldn't be hurt.

* * *

It was quite as Naruto entered the clearing. Tied to the biggest tree were his two friends. Both were trying to say something, but were gagged. Running to them, he pulled of their gags. Before he could do anything else they both screamed "BEHIND YOU!". With a resounding clash, something hit him from behind. Dazed he looked up but all he could see was a blurry figure and hear evil laughter.

As the laughter died down the man began to speak, and as he did Naruto's vision cleared. In front of him stood Mizuki, one of his Academy instructors.

"Hahaha, I've finally got you, and now… It's time to end you." Before Naruto could react, Mizuki pulled out a Fūma Shuriken and threw it at him. Naruto closed his eyes and awaited the pain, but all he felt was a small splash on his face. Opening his eyes, he came face to face with his other sensei, Iruka.

His eyes widened when he saw the blood coming out of Iruka's mouth, and when he collapsed, the giant shurikan sticking out of his back.

"Iruka, what the fuck are you doing out here, you should have been waiting for me at the shinobi bar!" "Heh, something felt wrong, and when I saw Naruto making a mad dash for the forest I followed. What are you doing Mizuki?! Why are you attacking your allies?!" "That Demon is no ally of mine, and neither is it an ally of this village. You saw what it did! It killed your parents! And yet you treat it as if it's one of us!"

At this point Naruto spoke up. "Demon!? What the hell are you talking about!? I didn't' kill Iruka-sensei's parents! Why are you doing this you bastard!?"

"Don't play dumb with me you monster, you know exactly what you are. You're the Kyu…" "No! Mizuki it's forbidden!" "Shut up you idiot! I don't care!" at this point, Naruto's voice again reached the two Chunin. "What am I?" He asked it in such a small voice that Iruka never heard, but Mizuki did.

With an evil smile he finished what he had begun saying earlier. "You're The Kyuubi, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox that almost destroyed my village and killed Iruka's parents!" A look of utter horror appeared on Naruto's face. "No! that's not true! My father would have said something!"

"Please, you don't have a father. That deluded old fool you call a father adopted you so that he could keep an eye on that seal that keeps you in human form!" As soon as Mizuki saw the clouded look on Naruto's face he attacked. "NOW DIE!"

Once again Mizuki's attack was foiled, and one again it was due to Iruka receiving the attack. "Fine! You want to die protecting the Demon? So be it, LET ME HELP YOU!"

As Mizuki spun to deliver the fatal blow, he was once again blocked. This time it was due to a rather tenacious Uchiha who had managed to burn the ropes with a small Katon Jutsu. However in doing so he had also burned himself. Naruto meanwhile was being helped up by a trembling Hinata.

"I'm the Kyuubi? I'm a Demon? I'm a Monster?" Over and over he repeated these questions to himself, with more and more conviction until. SLAP! Looking over and rubbing his now red cheek, he saw Hinata and she was crying.

"Don't you ever say that again! You're not a monster! Evan if you are the Kyuubi, you're the kindest, sweetest, bravest boy in the world. The only real monster is Mizuki!" "Yeah dobe, get a hold of yourself. Kyuubi or not I'll still kick your ass if you act like that ever again! Now come on, we've got a traitors ass to kick!"

With both of his friends encouraging him, Naruto smiled, before saying. "Thanks guys." Together the trio attacked Mizuki and before the Chunin had any time to react he had fireballs racing towards his head, chakra strikes aimed at his body and hundreds of clones dog piling him.

When all was said and done, it was a bruised and beaten Mizuki who was released from a sealing scroll the next day. Straight into the arms of the Hokage, And from there to T&I. It would later be revealed that he had planned to kill Naruto, sell Hinata of to the highest bidder in Kumo and present Sasuke as a piece offering to Orochimaru.

After the long night and numerous questioning, the three were released and led to the Hokage tower, where they met up with Jiraiya, Hiruzen and Itachi. There the truth was finally revealed. Naruto learnt that he wasn't the Kyuubi, only its container and that yes Jiraiya was his adopted father, but hadn't adopted him because of the Kyuubi, but because he was his godfather. When Naruto asked who his real parents were, the room became quite. It was Hiruzen that broke the silence. "Naruto-kun, I'm deeply sorry, but you cannot know who your parents are at this time. It is too dangerous, but I promise you, when you are ready you Will be told."

No amount of nagging or whining could get the three S-classed ninja to talk and so Naruto was forced to accept their decision. Lastly, Hinata and Sasuke were sworn to never speak about Naruto's status as the Kyuubi jinchūriki to anyone without his permission, as it was an S-ranked secret.

Due to his wounds, Iruka was giving leave for a week, but he refused to do so until the team lists had been called out and so it was a hurt and bandaged Iruka that appeared to the class the next morning.

* * *

When Iruka shuffled into the classroom that morning, he didn't need to use his Big Head no Jutsu, as all the bandages wrapped around his body quickly quieted the class.

"Good morning everyone!" When no one responded he sighed. When Akamichi Choji stood up, Iruka sighed again. "Uhm, Iruka-sensei? What happened to you?" From there on out, most of the class began asking the same question. What had happened to Iruka? The only students not asking that question, were the three students that witnessed it.

"All I can say is that there was an incident in the village last night and these are the results. Unfortunately that is all I can say regarding the incident, so please no more questions." When no one else spoke up, he continued. "Good, now as all of you know, today is the day that your chosen team groups are announced, along with the names of your Sensei's. First up, Team one…"

And so the teams were called out. As more and more students were assigned teams, Naruto became more and more excited. Finally, team seven was announced.

"Team seven, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, your Jonin sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

Naruto was conflicted. On one hand, he was with his best friend, but on the other, he had Haruno Sakura, an annoying fangirl who never worked to her potential. Looking over at Hinata, he saw that her head was bowed, and that she was slightly shaking. Placing a hand on her back, he was about to tell her it was going to be alright, when a messenger bird arrived. Iruka took the message and read it before speaking again.

"There has been a slight change in the team lists. Team seven is now, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata, and Hatake Kakashi is still their Jonin sensei."

As soon as Iruka finished speaking, both Naruto and Hinata jumped from their seats, shouting out in joy before hugging each other. Sasuke just sighed in relief before covering it up with a smirk. It didn't take long before Hinata realised what she was doing and, blushing a bright cherry red, let go of Naruto and sat down again, concentrating on staying conscious. Naruto just laughed and gave Sasuke a 'pat' on the back.

"Ok settle down you three, you're not the only ones on the list you know." As soon as Naruto sat back down, he continued. "Alright next up, team eight, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura, your Jonin sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai. Team nine is still in rotation from last year, so the next team will be team ten. Akamichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino. your Jonin Sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma."

As the final teams were called, Iruka once again congratulated everyone on passing before opening the school door, allowing the gathered Sensei to retrieve their students. One by one the Jonin Sensei entered and left with their teams, until all that remained was team seven.

Three hours later, Naruto's eye began to twitch. Sighing Naruto spoke up. Kashi-niisan is always like this! He just has to be late, but this is just pushing it. You know what guys, I think it's time we get a little pay back, what do you say?" Smirking, Naruto stood up, followed by his new teammates and together the three began plotting, and then moving around the classroom.

* * *

It was another hour before Kakashi made his appearance and by then, all trace of guilt for what was about to occur had left the three pre-teens. The Trap was triggered when Kakashi opened the door. As the eraser fell, Kakashi sidestepped it. "Naruto, don't you think I know you by now?" Naruto just smirked as Kakashi's foot snagged the hidden tripwire, causing a bucket of ice cold water to fall down, drenching the Jonin Sensei. As he removed the bucket he triggered the next part of the trap, allowing a bottle of glitter to fall down and cover him in a layer of sparkling specks. Lastly a packet of catnip was released, covering the ex ANBU commander with the herb.

Kakashi just sighed. "Alright I guess I deserved that." Three Irate Genin responded to that with "YOU THINK!?" Laughing Kakashi just told them to meet him upstairs before disappearing. As the three teammates went upstairs, the snickered between themselves. If Kakashi thought he was off the hook so easily, he was dead wrong.

At the top the noticed Kakashi standing by one of the rooftop benches. "Alright everyone, let's start off with little introduction. Tell me your names, your likes, dislikes, dreams and hobbies." "But Kashi-niisan, you already know all of those things." "Well yes I do, but its still tradition. Here, let me start. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I like many things, I don't dislike much, my dreams? Don't have any. And my hobbies, well? You'll have to wait until you're older to find out. Your turn Hinata."

As the three teens glared at him, Kakashi just gave them his trademarked eye smile. Finally Hinata spoke up. "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I like Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, I dislike bullies and the clan elders. My dream is to one day unify my clan. My Hobbies are to press flowers and make medicines." "Very good, Sasuke, your next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like hanging out with my friends and training. I dislike traitors and those that mock my clan. My dream is to one day surpass my elder brother. My hobbies include training and growing tomatoes." "Interesting, very interesting. Naruto you're up next."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like my friends, Ramen and training. I dislike the time it takes for instant Ramen to cook, and anyone who judges a person on something that's out of their control. My dream is to one day become the greatest Hokage ever! My Hobbies are gardening and eating Ramen."

"Ok, excellent! See, that wasn't so hard? Now I want you to meet up at the bridge tomorrow at 07:00 for survival training" With that, Kakashi disappeared, leaving behind his students to discuss the days' events while he went home to wash up.

* * *

As the three friends parted ways, each heading off to their houses/clan compounds, they never would have guessed the adventures waiting in store for them, nor the hardships that lay ahead.

* * *

 **NB**

 **I'm Back! I'm sooooo sorry for the long wait. You wouldn't believe the amount of trouble I had writing this chapter. First my computer died and I lost all of my work, then I got it fixed after a long wait. (I live far from any major cities here in South Africa that can handle broken PC's) After that I took a while to get started on writing up this chapter. I was nearly finished with it when my hard drive crashed and so once again I had to start again, and I was only recently motivated. That is no excuse however and so if you guys hate me, I understand. As a peace offering I present to you this peace offering of a longer chapter.**

 **I would like to thank the following reviewers for their motivation and help.**

 **Hinatagirl0805**

 **Rose Tiger**

 **Drakenn**

 **gwb620**

 **Kamui5**

 **Bigfan22**

 **Bryanchaos3**

 **Louis Romero**

 **Gold Testament**

 **Shadow-Shinobi666**

 **Chewie Cookies**

 **Kairan1979**

 **And the guest speaker.**

 **Thanks to all of you and thank you everyone who has favourite and followed this story!**

 **Also I got my first flame XD pretty mild compared to other flames I've heard of XD**

 **Now I leave you with this quote by Tom Brokaw:  
** _ **"You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world."  
**_


	7. NOTICE

THIS IS NOT AN UPDATE

This story is going on a temporary hiatus  
This is due to four factors.

Lack of any plot at all. Up to this point I've just opened word and just wrote whatever came to mind.

Writers block for this story (Thus the above must be fixed)

The actual story has deviated from my original idea. (Originally it was meant as a tale of Naruto growing up with Jiraiya as a father instead of alone.)

I do not have access to the Naruto Manga or Anime at the moment

Until I can create an outline of where I want this fic to go, it's gonna be on pause for a bit. Before I continue I also want to try writing a couple of one shots just to help improve my writing (This was actually my original goal but I didn't do it in the end) I may also write a new story based on an anime that I can keep in touch with. I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY.

I truly am sorry about this and hope to make it up to all of you in the future.

Random Fan140497


End file.
